Hariri's list wins the elections in Beirut

The Lebanese minister of the interior Hassan al-Sab' announced on Monday official results of the first phase of the parliamentary elections which were held in Beirut on Sunday.

He confirmed the major wining achieved by the list of Saad Eddine al-Hariri with 19 seats of the three election circles of Beirut.

Al-Sab' read the results in a press conference held in Beirut on Monday, noting that the rate of voting in all parts of Beirut reached 27% distributed on the three elections circles. He explained that the rate of participation according to area was 31% for the first circle; 29.6% for the second and 20% for the third.

Saad Eddine al-Hariri, who was nominated for the first circle, won, according to official results by getting 39499 votes with several thousands votes over what his late father had achieved in the elections of 2000.

On the other hand, al-Sab' attributed the low rate of participation to the winning of half of the candidates by being uncontested, as well as the boycott of certain political forces, especially the free national trend led by Michael Aoun and the Armenian Tashnaq party and the Phanalagists group opposition.

Upon the announcement of his preliminary winning results on Monday evening, Saad Eddine al-Hariri presented his victory to his late father. This was expressed in a speech he had delivered before his supporters, stressing that his father's blood will not go wasted. He considered the winning of his list as a victory for democracy, national unity and Lebanon's independence.

Hariri extended greetings to his allies in the elections: the Druze leader Walid Junblat and the meeting of the Christian Qurwit Shahwan group and the Lebanese forces trend.