2009 Lebanon Election Result a Hezbollah Defeat
Voter turnout for the 2009 Lebanon election, according to the Washington Times, exceeded fifty percent, the highest since the start of the Lebanese Civil War of 1974-91. The high voter turnout was instrumental in defeating Hezbollah and allied candidates. The pro Western coalition is projected to win 68 seats in the new Lebanese Parliament, with 57 seats going to Hezbollah and its allies, and 3 seats going to independents.
The results of the 2009 Lebanon election are seen as a major defeat for Syria and Iran, which are sponsors of Hezbollah. Besides being a political party, Hezbollah is a terrorist organization which has not only fought against Israel, Lebanon's neighbor to the south, but against the Lebanon government. Syria uses Hezbollah to attempt to exert its influence in Lebanon, now that the Syrian Army no longer occupies much of Lebanon. Hezbollah is also an instrument of Iran in its conflict with Israel.
The Lebanese Army appears to be taking measures to make sure that Hezbollah does not attempt to seize political power by force of arms that it failed to get at the ballot box. The defeat in the 2009 Lebanon election will have weakened Hezbollah's, and hence Syria's and Iran's, influence in Lebanon and throughout the Middle East.
Had Hezbollah won the 2009 Lebanon election, Israel would have been faced with a second terrorist controlled state on its northern border, which along with Hamas-controlled Gaza would have been a source of instability and conflict. Israel fought an inconclusive war with Hezbollah a few years ago in an attempt to eradicate its influence on its northern border. Hezbollah, like Hamas to the south, has launched missiles and guerilla raids into Israel from time to time.
Hezbollah's defeat in the 2009 Lebanon election does not mean that peace has suddenly come to Lebanon or the border with Israel. Hezbollah is still a potent military force, heavily under the influence of Syria and Iran, both regimes hostile to both Israel and the current Lebanese government. Thus the potential for Hezbollah to make mischief remains high and has to be factored in to any effort to finally bring peace to the Middle East and to suppress the various threats to peace in the region.
Source: Hezbollah loses Lebanon vote, Brooke Anderson, Washington Times, June 8th, 2009
Published by Mark Whittington
Mark R. Whittington is a writer residing in Houston, Texas. He is the author of The Last Moonwalker, Children of Apollo, Dark Sanction, and Nocturne. He has written numerous articles, some for the Washington... View profile
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5 Comments
Post a Commentthis is biasd and hezbollah is not a terrorist organisation just because the us says so
Why not give the name of the group that won? And Hezbollah causes mischief? How about murder and mayhem.
It is interesting how no one thinks "bombing" Israel is wrong.
A simple review of the 2009 elections results shows that the writer of this article is an israeli blinded by his hate to the people who defeated the so called israeli defense forces. Hezbollah won the election where he is involved, due to the election law, and the Lebanese demography. Please note that it is very stupid to say that Brazil lost the European cup.
Correction, correction. Hezbullah did not fight Israel. The truth is Israel invaded and occupied southern Lebanon back at 1991, then Hezbullah liberated southern Lebanon few years after. Which makes Israel the terrorist. Thank you