Lebanon

Pro-Western coalition wins elections; France calls for "climate of dialogue"

Article published on the 2009-06-08 Latest update 2009-06-10 06:24 TU

Lebanese Interior Minister Ziad Baroud announcing election results, Beirut 8 June 2009
(Photo: Reuters)

Final results in Lebanon's parliamentary elections on Monday showed a pro-Western coalition beating Hezbollah and its allies. France praised the handling of the elections and said all political parties should be in dialogue.

The coalition widened its majority to 71 seats. Hezbollah and its Shiite and Christian allies won the remaining 57.

"This is a big day in the history of a democratic Lebanon", said Saad Hariri, the son of Rafiq Hariri, the assassinated former Prime Minister.

Hezbollah accepted the results but told the new government not to consider removing Hezbollah's weapons arsenal. "The majority must commit not to question our role as a resistance party, the legitimacy of our weapons arsenal and the fact that Israel is an enemy state", Hezbollah official Mohamed Raad told the news agency AFP.

France praised Lebanon, its former colony, for conducting elections that "went smoothly".

"This poll was marked by a high turnout, which illustrates the vitality of Lebanese democracy", said France's interior ministry.

The European Union, which monitored the election, also said it was "generally peaceful".

"I would like to commend citizens who turned out to vote in significant numbers yesterday and I applaud their patience in the face of lengthy queues in many polling centres", said EU mission chief Jose Ignacio Salafranca.

France's foreign ministry said that the main task now is for the elected parties to cooperate. "France, a friend of all Lebanese people, hopes that the climate of dialogue that has prevailed over the past year will continue in the interest of stability and of the unity of Lebanon as a whole", the ministry wrote.

On France 24 TV  Pro-Western coalition routs Hezbollah in parliamentary election