<a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/05/15/lebanon-heads-to-the-polls-in-decisive-election/" target="_blank">Lebanon went to the polls</a> on Sunday, May 15 to elect 128 MPs to represent the country for the next four years. The <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/05/15/lebanon-heads-to-the-polls-in-decisive-election/" target="_blank">Lebanese forces</a> say they are now the largest Christian party in parliament for the first time while <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/05/17/hezbollah-and-allies-lose-parliamentary-majority-in-lebanon-elections/" target="_blank">Hezbollah and its allies have not managed to secure</a> over 65 seats that would give them a majority. However, that doesn't mean that <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/05/16/lebanon-elections-hezbollah-suffers-a-blow-with-allies-losing-seats/" target="_blank">the Iran-backed group's</a> opponents will form a cohesive bloc to elect a government or set the agenda. Experts anticipate the new legislative body will be fractured and passing needed bills will be a struggle. The following table shows the 2018 parliament vs the results for 2022. It's important to keep in mind that the electoral landscape has changed significantly while alliances and parliamentary blocs are always shifting making a direct comparison difficult. The major changes are seen in the absence of the Future Movement in the 2022 race after former prime minister and party head <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/05/15/saad-hariris-beirut-supporters-boycott-election-with-pool-party/" target="_blank">Saad Hariri did not field candidates</a>. Several of his MPs ran on other party lists but not as a national party. In 2018, the Free Patriotic Movement ran a list with a large number of allies rather than direct party members. While these locally popular figures were elected in large numbers — as seen with their 29 seats altogether — they were not in fact a cohesive body in parliament and did not pursue the same coalition strategy in this <a href="https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/lebanon/2022/05/15/lebanese-elections-marred-by-hundreds-of-rule-breaks-observer-warns/" target="_blank">election</a>. The full results are now in and barring any upsets following legal challenges or recounts, the above table represents the full parliament for the 2022-2026 session. Several key figures, such as deputy parliament speaker Elie Ferzli, lost their seat. Meanwhile, there is a new crop of opposition candidates ready to bring the demands of the 2019 protest movement to the chamber floor.
