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| Lebanon confirms Hariri election win | Lebanon confirms Hariri election win |
| (10 minutes later) | |
| Official results released a day after Lebanon's hotly-contested parliamentary election have confirmed the pro-Western coalition has held on to its majority. | Official results released a day after Lebanon's hotly-contested parliamentary election have confirmed the pro-Western coalition has held on to its majority. |
| Interior Minister Ziad Baroud confirmed that the coalition led by Saad Hariri had won 71 seats in the 128-member body, one more than four years ago. | Interior Minister Ziad Baroud confirmed that the coalition led by Saad Hariri had won 71 seats in the 128-member body, one more than four years ago. |
| The bloc led by militant and political movement Hezbollah won 57 seats. | The bloc led by militant and political movement Hezbollah won 57 seats. |
| Mr Baroud said voting passed off satisfactorily, despite some organisational problems. | Mr Baroud said voting passed off satisfactorily, despite some organisational problems. |
| Security has been tightened and political leaders appealed for calm throughout Lebanon, which last year witnessed pitched battles between rival factions. | Security has been tightened and political leaders appealed for calm throughout Lebanon, which last year witnessed pitched battles between rival factions. |
| A possible victory for Hezbollah, which is supported by Syria and Iran, had caused jitters among Western governments, and the US was threatening to withdraw its aid package to Lebanon. | |
| The turnout was 54%, Mr Baroud said, the highest percentage among Lebanon's three million voters since the 1975-91 civil war. | The turnout was 54%, Mr Baroud said, the highest percentage among Lebanon's three million voters since the 1975-91 civil war. |
| The campaign was marred by mud-slinging and accusations that large numbers of expatriate Lebanese were flown home for free to cast votes. | The campaign was marred by mud-slinging and accusations that large numbers of expatriate Lebanese were flown home for free to cast votes. |
| Lebanon is a country of deeply-fragmented religious sects, and this election broadly pitted Shia Muslim supporters of Hezbollah against Sunni Muslims and Druze supporting the 14 March coalition. | Lebanon is a country of deeply-fragmented religious sects, and this election broadly pitted Shia Muslim supporters of Hezbollah against Sunni Muslims and Druze supporting the 14 March coalition. |
| The crucial electoral show-down had been between Christian rivals, who although they make up only one third of the population are class="inlineText" href="/1/hi/world/middle_east/8079481.stm">constitutionally guaranteed an equal half share of parliamentary seats. | |
| The influential Christian Maronite community was split between established Western-orientated factions and the Free Patriotic Movement of former army chief Michel Aoun which joined the pro-Syria faction in 2006. | The influential Christian Maronite community was split between established Western-orientated factions and the Free Patriotic Movement of former army chief Michel Aoun which joined the pro-Syria faction in 2006. |
| As predicted, Hezbollah and its smaller Shia ally Amal swept the vote in Lebanon's mainly Shia areas, but the FPM lost in the key Christian districts of Zahleh and Beirut First district. |