BEIRUT, Lebanon — Billionaire tycoon Rafik Hariri and his allies swept all 19 parliamentary seats in Beirut, ousting the current premier and boosting Hariri's chances of being named the new prime minister — a move that could put him on a collision course with the president.
Early morning unofficial results showed that Prime Minister Salim Hoss and three members of his Cabinet lost by wide margins to candidates backed by Hariri in the three electoral districts in Beirut.
The results quoted officials at the counting centers, where all candidates have representatives.
Final results were expected late Monday.
Hariri, a former prime minister who tried to rebuild Lebanon following its devastating 1975-90 civil war, hopes to once again lead the government of a nation where political fortunes depend heavily on the desires of neighboring Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon.
Candidates backed by Hariri made a strong showing in the first stage of voting in the provinces of Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon a week ago and claimed a clean sweep in Beirut in Sunday's voting, the last of two stages of balloting for the 128-member legislature. Residents of the former Israeli-occupied zone in southern Lebanon voted Sunday for the first time in nearly 30 years.
Hariri's supporters set off fireworks and celebrated in the streets of Beirut late Sunday after television stations, citing partial, unofficial results, reported overwhelming victories for Hariri's candidates over those of Hoss for seats throughout the capital.
Hariri's undeclared battle for the premiership could set up a clash with President Emile Lahoud, who names the prime minister. Lahoud vehemently opposes Hariri who stepped down in 1998 after a dispute with the president. Lahoud had backed Hoss, but now appeared to have little option but to name Hariri prime minister.
Under Lebanon's constitution, which allots leadership posts according to religion to keep a lid on volatile sectarian rivalries, the Maronite Christian president is elected by members of Parliament for a six-year term. Lahoud still has four years in office.
In a statement published in newspapers Monday, Lahoud said he will abide by the constitution and consult with the newly elected legislature on naming a new prime minister.
Under the 1989 Arab-brokered peace plan that ended the civil war, the president is expected to ask the Sunni named by the majority of legislators to form a new government. Legislators need not confine themselves to other members of parliament when making their choice.
Christians and Muslims, leftists and rightists teamed up with Hariri in the campaign to protest the military's role in politics under Lahoud and the government's failure to deal with a faltering economy.
While the concerted attack on Lahoud was unusual, at least one sacred cow remained: Few candidates from either side criticized Syria's involvement. Syria has 30,000 troops in Lebanon and dominates it militarily and politically.
Hariri and Lahoud are both considered close to Syria.
Hoss had accused Hariri of using his vast fortune to influence voters. Hariri says he merely has provided money for scholarships as well as financial and medical aid to needy Lebanese.
Hoss raised the charge again Monday, telling reporters he lost because "money was spent to influence the course of the elections."
But Hoss said he would accept the election results.
Hariri also was accused of shackling Lebanon with $20 billion in debt during his 1992-98 government, when he launched a multibillion dollar plan to rebuild Lebanon from the civil war.
In south Lebanon, an election coalition that included Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's pro-Syrian Amal group and its Shiite Muslim rivals of the Iranian-backed Hezbollah, as well as Christian candidates won all 23 parliamentary seats, according to unofficial results published in newspapers Monday.
The Amal-Hezbollah alliance has not yet announced whom it will back for prime minister.
A similar coalition in the Baalbek-Hermel province in eastern Lebanon's Bekaa Valley captured all 10 parliamentary seats in the region.
Hezbollah and Amal led a guerrilla war against Israeli forces in southern Lebanon and hoped to bank on increased popularity after Israeli troops withdrew from the border zone in May, ending an 18-year occupation.
Hezbollah increased the number of its legislators from seven to nine.
The last time that residents of the former Israeli-occupied zone in the south voted was in the 1972 parliamentary elections. There were no elections in Lebanon during the civil war and parliamentary polls in 1992 and 1996 did not include the border areas because of the Israeli occupation.
There was light voter turnout in mainly Christian towns in south Lebanon. Two-thirds of the 6,000 Lebanese who fled to Israel in the final hours of the occupation were Christians allied with the Jewish state. Other residents are in jail for collaborating with Israel.
By contrast, voting in Shiite areas was brisk and residents appeared to back the guerrillas.