Hariri plays down comeback

Hariri: Now in line for the prime minister's job

Construction tycoon Rafik al-Hariri has said it is too early to tell whether he will be Lebanon's next prime minister - in spite of his opposition coalition's decisive election victory.

I have to insist that talk about my return to the premiership is premature"

Rafik al-Hariri

"I have to insist that talk about my return to the premiership is premature," said Mr Hariri in his first official comment since the results were confirmed.

"Those who think that I am extremely keen to become prime minister are wrong," he added.

Mr Hariri served as prime minister from 1992 to 1998.

He leads a parliamentary bloc of at least one third of the 128 MPs and he won 18 out of the 19 seats up for grabs in the capital Beirut.

BBC regional analyst Roger Hardy says President Emile Lahoud - who is empowered to appoint the prime minister - dislikes Mr Hariri and would find it difficult to work with him.

However, if Syria, the main power in Lebanon, decides it wants Mr Hariri, our analyst says the president will have to swallow his pride and accept Syria's decision.

Mr Hariri said on Tuesday that he had not yet been approached regarding the premiership.

Current Prime Minister Salim al-Hoss, who lost his seat, called the election "one of the fiercest and dirtiest in Lebanese history", but said he would accept the result.

Overwhelming victory

According to the official results, Mr Hariri won the largest number of votes in Beirut, with his total of 34,820 votes more than double that of his rivals.

Salim al-Hoss has conceded defeat

Prime Minister Hoss, who was standing in a different Beirut constituency to Mr Hariri, received less than 15,000 votes.

Mr Hoss conceded defeat to Mr Hariri when initial results were first announced, but said he would persist in his career as a politician, but "from outside parliament, of course".

"I bow to the results of the elections," Mr Hoss told a news conference. "Of course I accept it democratically, and I will act accordingly."

Mr Hariri has support from the influential Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, a strong critic of President Lahoud.

In the south, the Shi'a Muslim Hezbollah movement enjoys great prestige for its part in opposing the Israelis. Mr Berri's Amal movement has allied itself with Hezbollah for the election.

Battleground

For 25 years, Lebanon has been a battleground, both for its own warring factions and a succession of powerful regional neighbours.

Israel ended its 22-year occupation of southern Lebanon in May.

Lebanon's sectarian divisions, the strength of traditional clan loyalties and the behind-the-scenes influence of Syria all reduce the prospects for major change.

Correspondents say many Lebanese, facing hardship amid an economic recession, associate Mr Hariri with times of plenty.

As prime minister, he presided over reconstruction efforts following the devastating 1975-1990 civil war, but faces allegations of corruption and complaints about economic mismanagement.