Anti-Syrian leader scores upset in Lebanon elections

Anti-Syrian Christian leader Michel Aoun, who returned from 14 years’ exile only five weeks ago, handed other anti-Syrian opposition groups a surprising defeat in Lebanese parliamentary elections.

According to results announced by Interior Minister Hassan al-Sabei, Aoun and his allies clinched a 21 of the 58 seats contested yesterday, at least temporarily thwarting the opposition’s quest for a majority in their drive to end Syria’s political control.

The Shiite Muslim Hezbollah guerrilla group and its allies swept 10 seats in the eastern Bekaa Valley while Druse leader Walid Jumblatt’s list won in central Mt. Lebanon.