March 8-Backed Candidates Elected Heads of Physicians Order in Beirut, Tripoli

March 8-backed candidate Antoine al-Bustani was elected as the head of the Order of Physicians in Beirut as March 8-backed candidate Elie Habib was elected as head of Tripoli's Order, the National News Agency reported.

Meanwhile, March 14 and March 8 won an equal number of seats on the council of the Order of Physicians in Beirut.

NBN television said Habib was also backed by caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati and the Lebanese Communist Party.

Habib received 330 votes while the March 14-backed rival Roland Tannous garnered 286 votes, state-run National News Agency said.

The victorious contestant thanked all the doctors who elected him and those who did not elect him, pledging cooperation “for the sake of the Order and the physicians.”

Meanwhile, the elections of the Lebanese Order of Physicians in Beirut witnessed a tie between the March 8 and March 14 camps at the level of members, as March 8's Bustani defeated March 14's Ghassan Skaff in the race for the chairmanship.

Skaff was also backed by the Progressive Socialist Party and the Jamaa Islamiya.

Bustani received 130 votes more than Skaff, according to NNA.

March 8 won four seats on the Order's council while March 14 won the other four seats, it said.