this post was submitted on 27 May 2025
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As southern Lebanon continues to suffer from sporadic Israeli attacks despite a ceasefire signed in November between Israel and the Lebanese group Hezbollah, establishment parties have emerged as the biggest winners of municipal elections.

Voting took place over four weeks, starting in Mount Lebanon – north of the capital, Beirut – followed by the country’s northern districts, Beirut and the eastern Bekaa Valley, and concluding on Saturday in southern Lebanon.

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[–] Grumpyleb@lemmus.org 6 points 1 week ago

It's an extremely complex situation, and I will try and explain in briefly. During the 1950s onwards, South Lebanon (where the majority of the Shiites live) was long neglected by succesive central governments and were mostly menial workers and in poverty. Once the civil war started in the early 70's, variuos sects all formed militias, and one of the last to arrive on the scene was Hezbollah, funded and set up by the Iranian revoloutionary guard. During that time, they provided schools, hospitals, jobs, and most other basic services that were never supported by the central government in the south. Now add to that Lebanon was under Israeli occupation for over a decade, and it was Hezbollah's relentless resistance that finally drove them out in the year 2000 and at that point they enjoyed massive popularity among the entire population.

Several years later, they enter politics, miscalculate an attack on the border which leader to the 2006 war, and from there they lost their way. HOWEVER, they are still providing services to the poorest in the South, and the Shiite people are generally traibalistc and very loyal. So they will continue to show strongly in the polls.

(To add context, the leader of the Lebanese Forces group, a right wing christian group founded under a facist idelology, was convicted of war crimes, jailed, pardoned and is now again in politics, I make this example to show how fucked politics in Lebanon is, and every sect will hold onto dear leader regardless of the shit they've done. 80% of our political leaders were warlords during the civil war and they are still in power today).

Obviously Ive tried to simplify this as much as possible.