Lebanese politician Saad al-Hariri pledged sweeping reforms today after his anti-Syrian alliance won control of parliament in the first elections for three decades without Syrian troops in Lebanon.
Official results for Sunday's final phase of elections in north Lebanon showed the bloc led by Mr Hariri, the son of slain ex-premier Rafik al-Hariri, sweeping all 28 remaining seats, taking its overall total to 72 in the 128-member assembly.
The victory means parliament has a majority of lawmakers opposed to Syria's influence in Lebanon for the first time since the 1975-1990 civil war.
European Union monitors gave the May 29-June 19 elections a clean bill of health but urged an overhaul of controversial rules on the organisation of polls.
“The elections were well-managed and took place in a generally peaceful manner within the framework for elections,“ the EU election observation mission to Lebanon said.
“However, there is an urgent need for complete reform of the election framework,” it said, singling out lax campaign financing rules which it said set an uneven playing field.
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice congratulated Lebanon for holding elections in a “respectful way” and urged Syria to remove any intelligence agents it has in the country.
She told Arab television Al Arabiya that “this great democratic enterprise ... is done thanks finally to the removal of Syrian military forces, though Syria needs to remove finally non-trench military forces that it might also have in the area”.
Mr Hariri said people had voted for change and dedicated his victory to his late father: “I owe my father everything.“
He told a news conference that he would issue next week a comprehensive programme based on the late billionaire tycoon's ideas.
“There should be administrative and financial reforms, anti-corruption measures and economic, development and social programmes. That's what we are going to do,” Mr Hariri said.
Yesterday's win makes Mr Hariri, 35, a leading candidate for the post. He brushed aside questions on future political moves, saying he wanted to consult with his allies first.