The Wire

Lebanon’s parliamentary elections are in June, and militant group Hezbollah is leading an opposition alliance to challenge the Government. The group called ‘8 March’, includes Hezbollah, the Christian Free Patriotic Movement, and the previously neutral Armenian community. Lebanon’s political landscape is structured for religious representation of different communities, with set parliament seats for Christians, Sunnis, Shiites and others. A democratically elected Hezbollah would have to share power, but their victory’s symbolism would echo Gaza’s election of Hamas. This would be problematic for the US, Israel, and others who consider them a terrorist organization. However, it appears they probably won’t win.