Beirut, Lebanon (CNN) -- A political showdown now looms in Lebanon after a potential kingmaker threw his allegiance Friday behind the opposition Hezbollah. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said his support lies with Syria and those who oppose a United Nations-backed tribunal's investigation of the assassination of a former prime minister. "I'm assuring that the party will remain persistently on the side of Syria and the resistance," Jumblatt said in a televised news conference Friday. Hezbollah's military wing is often referred to as a resistance movement in the Muslim world. 'Kingmaker' holds the key "Hopefully, the democratic game will move away from the tensions and the sectarian alliances, and we should stay open for dialogue, despite the schism that has happened and will continue to happen," said Jumblatt, who heads the Progressive Socialist Party.
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Walid Jumblatt could play a decisive role in choosing the next prime minister
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He says he supports those who are opposed to a U.N.-backed tribunal
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The tribunal is expected to indict Hezbollah members in Rafik Hariri's assassination
The system of power-sharing that prevails in @placeholder mandates that the prime minister's office be reserved for a Sunni Muslim.