Lebanon's hotly contested parliamentary elections are over, the results are in and the political battle for Lebanon goes to the pro-Western March 14 coalition.

The March 14 bloc, which is led by Saad al-Hariri, held on to its parliamentary majority, defeating the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition, which is supported by Iran and Syria.

Will the result aid national unity or will Beirut continue to be the capital of a divided nation?

We look at the winners and losers in the Lebanese elections and ask what the result means for the Lebanese people and the wider region.

Inside Story presenter Kamahl Santamaria is joined by Saleh al-Machnouk, a political analyst and contributor to Al Nahar newspaper, Nicholas Noe, the editor of Mideast Newswire, and Ahmed Mousalli, a professor of Political Science at the American University of Beirut.
 
This episode of Inside Story aired from Monday, June 8, 2009.