US-backed ruling coalition claims election victory over Hezbollah in Lebanon elections | World news | The Guardian - 0 views
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Jubilant supporters of Lebanon's US-backed ruling coalition took to the streets last night, claiming a decisive election victory. It marks a dramatic reversal of fortunes after polls showed it losing its slim majority to a Hezbollah-led coalition backed by Syria and Iran.
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Isolated voting booths, indelible ink and a voter education campaign launched by the interior ministry made the elections a significant improvement on 2005, with turnout averaging more than 50%.
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The vote pitted a moderate Sunni-led government, supported by the west, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, against an opposition led by Hezbollah, the Middle East's most powerful militant group, which fought Israel in the devastating 2006 war and is financed by Iran's Shia government.
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