Lebanon (MNN) — It’s official; Hezbollah lost its majority power in Lebanon’s Parliament.
With strong backing from Iran, Hezbollah operates as both a Shi’ite Muslim political party and a militant group in Lebanon. Forecasts leading up to the May 15 election predicted Hezbollah’s current grip on power would grow.
People worried their country would become another Iran. “We were under the impression, or the threat that Iran is taking over and [Lebanon] is going to become an Islamic nation,” Nuna of Triumphant Mercy Lebanon says.
“I think this (election result) is a miracle, really; we have been praying hard for this.”
According to BBC News, Hezbollah and its allies came three seats short of a majority.
“They’re still in the Parliament, but they don’t have the power of the number. We couldn’t do anything while they were in power. Now, they don’t have that (majority power) anymore, and the new ones (leaders) have a strong opposition to Hezbollah,” Nuna says.
“We have been praying hard for this election, and I’m so thankful for what God did.”
Lebanese protestors wearing Guy Fawkes masks in February 2022.
(Photo courtesy of fahed27/Pixabay)
Dislodging Hezbollah’s grip on Parliament is a critical but small victory in the battle for Lebanon’s future. “The fight isn’t over. We have to keep praying,” Nuna says.
A new chapter in Lebanon?
Many hope the 2022 elections will lead to a working government and desperately-needed foreign investment. Authorities stepped down in late 2019 following nationwide protests, refusing to fix one of the world’s worst economic depressions in 150 years.
The coronavirus compounded Lebanon’s problems in 2020, and a port explosion in Beirut killed more than 200 people. Today, approximately 80-percent of Lebanon’s population lives in poverty, and there are severe shortages of food, fuel, and medicines.
Triumphant Mercy Lebanon provides physical help for today and hope for a better tomorrow. More about that here. “God is changing things in this whole area (region), and I can see it. Those who don’t live here cannot feel it or sense it, but we feel the change,” Nuna says.
“Change is coming to Lebanon. We don’t know how big the change will be or where things will go, but we see it and feel it.”
Pray for a spirit of unity among Lebanon’s newly-elected leaders. “[Pray] that people would want to see Lebanon rise from the ashes instead of just fighting for positions and powers,” Nuna requests.
Header image is a political poster of Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah’s Secretary-General, in Lebanon. (Photo courtesy of djedj/Pixabay)
