Former US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs David Hale reflected Washington’s dissatisfaction with the results of the Lebanese parliamentary elections which occurred on May 15, 2022.
“There was a lot of wishful thinking before Lebanon’s parliamentary elections on Sunday, May 15,” Hale wrote in an article.
One fantasy is that reducing Hezbollah’s parliamentary presence and alliances reduces its power. In reality, Hezbollah’s sway in elections and parliament is merely a useful by-product of its parallel power structure outside the state, based on arms, fighters, services, and illicit funds.
Hale added that there was also speculation the results would deal a blow to Hezbollah and its Christian allies, adding that they just suffered reverses in the vote.
According to Hale, the withdrawal of the former premier Saad Hariri from the Lebanese politics resulted in a low Sunni participation level.
“This proves Hariri still leads his constituency, and his absence opened up most of those few contests won by independents.”
On May 15, Lebanon witnessed a parliamentary election which synchronized with an unprecedented crisis caused by the US-backed siege and corruption. Despite the US scheme, the Resistance alliance managed to emerge victorious.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
