Hezbollah’s first step for parliamentary authority

Majid Safataj, Expert in Middle East affairs

Following the recent parliamentary elections in Lebanon, a member of the coalition between Hezbollah and the resistance movement, Nabih Berri, was elected by the country’s new legislature in its first session on Tuesday to serve yet another term as speaker of parliament. There are two lenses through which the pending developments of Lebanon can be looked at: One regarding the parliament’s general capability to overcome current problems, and the other regarding the position and authority of Hezbollah and the coalition groups.

Concerning the first, namely, resolving Lebanon’s current problems, which manifest themselves in the country’s political instabilities and lack of an authoritative government, it should be noted that this issue originates in Lebanon’s tribal system of elections. Within this election system, even if political movements manage to secure the majority of parliamentary seats, they cannot do everything — for example, they cannot plan, execute their plans, or select the prime minister or president or other positions as they see fit — due to the tribalistic nature of the election system and, of course, the influence of foreign powers on domestic developments of Lebanon. The same disorder, instability, and deep political discord existed alongside foreign interference in the last parliament, in which Hezbollah and the coalition groups held the majority of seats, as well as the parliament before that, in which the March 14 Alliance and the Future Movement held the majority.

Therefore, Lebanon's issue is not the election of this or that party, rather it is the tribal system of this government that divides responsibilities between various tribes and prevents a cohesive, authoritative, and efficient government from forming. Until these tribal divisions give way to the election of capable individuals and parties by the people, a bright future cannot be imagined for Lebanon. Accordingly, it can also be said that the current situation in Lebanon will persist, which means that foreign interference, deep political disagreements, and the absence of an authoritative government will exist, too.

Regarding the position and performance of Hezbollah in the elections, however, it should be noted that this movement has achieved relatively great success despite how much its opponents and rivals strived to politically degrade Hezbollah. Even though it lost some of its seats compared to the previous election and, as a result, its majority in the Lebanese Parliament, it is still the largest single parliamentary bloc. No other political party has been able to single-handedly send as many representatives to the Lebanese Parliament as Hezbollah.

The election of Nabih Berri, who is close to the resistance movement, as speaker of parliament clearly shows Hezbollah’s level of influence and power in the new legislature. Even now, Hezbollah can form a government and appoint a prime minister by persuading a number of independent representatives to join forces.

So, just because some seats were lost, it cannot be deduced that Hezbollah and the coalition groups have lost the election. They have managed to secure a great number of seats and achieved relative success. The election of Nabih Berri as speaker of parliament is Hezbollah’s first step to playing a role in the pending developments. This electoral success will reduce domestic and foreign pressures on the resistance movement in Lebanon, and developments will still mainly revolve around Hezbollah.

Nevertheless, the next Lebanese government will still face many issues due to the tribal nature of Lebanon’s system. It is imperative that Hezbollah and the coalition groups as well as other political groups and tribes of Lebanon come together to preserve Lebanon’s national integrity and authority and unanimously make a tough but impactful decision to reform the election system of Lebanon.