Lebanon’s shock election result shows deep anger at the elite

There was something for everyone in the outcome of Lebanon’s general election—except for a clear outcome. The ruling elite lost some symbolic races but kept its grip on power. Voters plumped for candidates who ran on a platform of change. One winning candidate proudly declared that he had no platform at all.

Many Lebanese were unenthusiastic about the ballot on May 15th. Just 41% of voters resident in the country bothered to show up, down six points from 2018 (turnout was higher in the diaspora). It was plagued by irregularities, from polling centres that lacked pens and ballot papers to piles of votes that mysteriously disappeared. Even tallying the results is hard, since some of the candidates who ran as independents in fact have close ties to the country’s long-standing sectarian parties.