The pro-Syria coalition of Amal movement and Hizbollah announced Sunday evening that it swept south Lebanon's parliamentary elections.

Nabih Beri, parliament speaker and leader of the Amal movement, made the announcement at a press conference.

The results demonstrated the confidence placed by the people of south Lebanon in the resistance front against Israel and their full backing in the face of current pressures and threats, Beri told the reporters.

Preliminary results showed that the coalition has won all the 23 seats, with a large margin, a Amal candidate MP said.

The official results of the election, the 2nd phase of the parliamentary elections, should be announced by the interior minister on Monday.

A concerned official revealed that the turnout for the two constituencies in south Lebanon is about 45 percent according to preliminary official estimates after the close of polling stations.

The second phase of Lebanon's parliamentary election began in south Lebanon on Sunday morning. There are a total of 665,385 eligible voters in the south's two constituencies.

Lebanon's four-phase legislative election started in Beirut last Sunday, which the opposition party led by the son of Lebanon's former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri claimed a sweeping victory by winning the capital's all 19 seats.

(Xinhua News Agency June 6, 2005)