BEIRUT (AFP) — A pro-Western bloc inflicted a surprise defeat on Hezbollah and its allies at the ballot box in Lebanon, final results showed, as the winners faced a battle to keep the nation together.
The coalition headed by Saad Hariri, son of slain ex-premier Rafiq, landed 71 seats in the 128-member parliament against 57 for Hezbollah and its Shiite and Christian allies, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud said.
"This is a big day in the history of democratic Lebanon," a triumphant Hariri, now being tipped by some as a possible premier, told his supporters after Sunday's vote.
The Obama administration hailed a pro-Western coalition's election win in Lebanon as a force for stability, but played down any short-term prospects for broader Arab-Israeli peace.
President Barack Obama saw Sunday's polls as the "strongest indications yet of the Lebanese desire for security and prosperity," following the defeat of the pro-Iranian and anti-Israeli Hezbollah movement.
"It is our sincere hope that the next government will continue along the path towards building a sovereign, independent and stable Lebanon," Obama said in a statement.
Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah acknowledged the defeat in what he called "a sporting spirit," in a televised address later on Monday. Appearing graceful in defeat, he also congratulated his political rivals.
Nasrallah declined to discuss the formation of a new unity government, saying it "needs consultations with all the members of the opposition."
A 100-strong EU observer mission said the vote was "contested in a polarised but generally peaceful environment within an improved legal framework which nevertheless needs further reform."
From Brussels, EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana called for "the formation of a coalition government as soon as possible."
And UN chief Ban Ki-moon hoped that "the process of government formation will commence expeditiously and that it will take place in a calm and secure environment."
However, analysts and newspapers questioned whether the rival factions would be able to form a unity government and ensure Lebanon is not plunged into a renewed cycle of instability and violence.
"Lebanon has entered a new phase today," said Paul Salem, head of the Beirut-based Middle East Carnegie Centre. "The question is, once the government is formed what kind of challenge will it face?"
Despite its relatively low number of parliament members, Hezbollah -- listed as a terrorist organisation by Washington -- remains a potent political and military force.
After the vote, the militant party delivered a blunt warning that its mighty arsenal, which it says is vital for "resistance" to Israel, was not up for discussion.
The outcome was closely watched by Lebanon's neighbours and the international community, while Saudi Arabia and Egypt welcomed the results which saw their allies in the parliamentary majority retain their advantage.
Former colonial power France called on all factions to continue to work together as they have since the formation of a government of national unity in July 2008.
Israel, which fought a devastating war with Hezbollah guerrillas in 2006, said the new government must act to prevent attacks from its soil.
Parliament speaker Nabih Berri, whose Amal party is allied with Hezbollah, said he "fully accepted" the result of the vote, while Christian ally, the Free Patriotic Movement of wartime general Michel Aoun, also acknowledged defeat.
Newspapers in former powerbroker Syria accused Hariri's coalition of resorting to fraud and vote-buying to stay in power but did not comment directly on the outcome.
Voters had turned out in force for one of Lebanon's most crucial elections, a key test of whether it would continue on a pro-Western path or tilt towards Shiite Iran.
Preliminary estimates put turnout at more than 54 percent of the 3.2 million electorate, the highest since at least the end of the 1975-1990 civil war.
Under Lebanon's complex power-sharing system, seats are divided equally between majority Muslims and minority Christians, who make up about a third of the four-million population.
The current majority swept to power in 2005 on a wave of popular anger following the assassination of Rafiq Hariri. The murder was widely blamed on Syria, which denied any involvement.
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