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REUTERS
BEIRUT
Lebanon's parliament is set to re-elect Nabih Berri as its speaker on Wednesday, extending the veteran politician's tenure in a post he has held since 1992, after a general election that strengthened the hand of Iran-backed Hezbollah and its allies.
Berri, 80, is head of the Shi'ite Amal Movement and has been a close ally of the heavily armed Shi'ite Hezbollah since the end of the 1975-90 civil war. Outgoing Prime Minister Saad al-Hariri, a Hezbollah opponent, has declared his support for him.
Berri is running unopposed for the post reserved for a Shi'ite in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system. In anticipation of Berri's re-election, his office issued a statement urging supporters to avoid celebratory gunfire.
Another Hezbollah ally, Elie Ferzli, is a leading candidate to be elected as deputy parliament speaker, reflecting a shift in the political landscape in favour of Hezbollah since the last Lebanese general election in 2009.
Ferzli, like Berri and Hezbollah, has close ties to the Syrian government of President Bashar al-Assad.
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23/05/2018
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