Hezbollah Secretary General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah announced that he accepts the results of Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, “with sportsmanship and democratic spirit.”

 In a televised speech on Monday night, Nasrallah said, “We have a comprehensive political, economical and social reform plan, and we wanted to win the majority to serve this project. The fact that we didn’t win the majority doesn’t prevent us from pushing for our plan as an opposition.

“I want to point to the fall of two big lies, one of which is that the opposition wanted to disrupt the elections, in case the outcome was not in its favor,” said Nasrallah. “The second lie, which we refuted, is the ability to hold elections while the Resistance maintains its arms. The elections were held at a time when the arsenal of the Resistance was at its biggest since 1982, and were held peacefully. This proves that these arms are not being used to impose a new political reality, or to impose or exclude people from the political arena.”

Nasrallah congratulated the Lebanese people, the judiciary, the Lebanese Armed Forces and the security forces, saying, “The one-day elections were a big challenge, and we succeeded in this challenge.”

He also congratulated March 14 for their victory, although he added that they “should rise to the responsibility” of their position, and “announce their real political platform, their priorities, their clear aims and which path and spirit they will use to deal with the others. The majority should announce whether they will learn lessons from the past or mess with Lebanon’s priorities.”

Commending March 8 candidates, supporters and voters, Nasrallah said, “The people who voted for us have shown that supporting the Resistance is a popular choice, especially in the regions that are under constant threat.”

“The parliamentary majority is different from the popular majority,” he added. “I urge all opposition leaders to renew their pledge and their commitment to all their popular bases, to continue with their plan. The elections, despite their importance, were just a stage, and the opposition leaders will deliberate soon to set the course of its future steps.”

Nasrallah stressed that “the arms of the resistance are not up for discussion. They are present because of the peoples’ will, and will be left for the dialogue table.”

“I want to tell the Lebanese that the possibility of a strong, just and capable state still exists, regardless of the outcome of the elections,” he said. “Let us build the republic based on truth, clarity and transparency, and not on fears, threats and lies. Let us defend, build and develop our country together. We are ahead of a new stage and a new situation.”

-NOW Staff