What’s next for Lebanon?
The result of the general election boosts the power of Hezbollah.
Corruption, power cuts, rubbish piling up on the streets – and looking after huge numbers of refugees from Syria.
These are just some of the challenges facing politicians in Lebanon‘s newly elected parliament.
Sunday’s parliamentary election was the first in nine years.
Hezbollah was the winner.
The Shia Muslim party with a military wing which is backed by Iran won a small minority in parliament, and dealt a blow to Prime Minister Saad Hariri, who is supported by predominately Sunni Saudi Arabia.
Hariri is expected to form the next government, despite his party losing a third of its seats. It remains the largest Sunni bloc in parliament
So will more power for Hezbollah complicate the complex politics of the Middle East?
Presenter: Mohammed Jamjoom
Guests:
Khaled Hamade – retired Lebanese army general
Ibrahim Fraihat – associate professor in international conflict resolution at the Doha Institute for Graduate Studies
Kamel Wazne – founder of the Center of American Strategic Studies