Hezbollah becomes strongest party in Lebanon in first elections after nine years

BEIRUT, (Patria) - The Shiite movement Hezbollah, supported by Iran, could win more than half of the seats in the Lebanese parliament with its political allies, formed after the first elections in nine years, according to unofficial results of Sunday's elections as claimed by politicians and local media, reports Al Jazeera.

Unofficial results also show that Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, supported by the West, could end the elections as the Sunni leader in the 128-member parliament.

According to the Lebanese power-sharing system, the prime minister must be a Sunni.

The elections were held under a new complex electoral law, and the first official results are expected on Monday.

A Christian party, a staunch opponent of Hezbollah, has reportedly increased its number of MPs from eight to 15, according to initial indications.

Reuters reported a calculation according to which Hezbollah and its political allies have won at least 67 seats.

Hezbollah has been classified as a terrorist organization by the United States and is an enemy of neighboring Israel, with which it has fought several times since the organization's founding in 1982.