Lebanon: Tensions following parliamentary elections May 8 /update 3

Event

Fighting reportedly broke out between supporters of the Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) and the Lebanese Democratic Party (LDP) in the Mount Lebanon town of Choueifat on Tuesday, May 8, following the release of preliminary results of the parliamentary elections. At least one person was shot and killed in the violence. Political demonstrations, as well as additional localized armed confrontations, are possible in the capital Beirut and other Lebanese cities in the coming hours and days.

Context

Lebanon last held parliamentary elections in June 2009. Security threats from the neighboring Syrian Civil War, sectarian tensions due to Lebanon's confessional political system, and disputes over electoral laws continuously delayed the elections from their original scheduled date in 2013 to May 6, 2018.

According to preliminary results announced May 7, Hezbollah reportedly garnered at least 47 seats, an increase which will likely provide them with veto power in the 128-seat parliament. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Saad Hariri's Future Movement has reportedly lost at least 12 seats nationwide, including five in Beirut alone, securing only 21 seats. Despite his party's losses in the election, Hariri, as the Sunni politician with the biggest vote share, is nonetheless expected to form the next government - likely a unity government that includes Hezbollah.

Incidents of political violence were recorded in the lead-up to the elections; notably, on April 22, Ali al-Amin, a journalist critical of Hezbollah who was running for a Shi'a seat in the parliamentary vote, claimed that he had been assaulted by over 30 Hezbollah supporters in Chaqra (Bint Jbeil district) while he was hanging up election posters.

Advice

Individuals in Lebanon are advised to monitor developments to the situation, report all suspicious objects or behavior, and adhere to all instructions issued by the local authorities. Avoid all protests and demonstrations as a precaution.