Allocation of Seats
A unique feature of the Lebanese system is the principle of "confessional distribution": each religious community has an allotted number of deputies in the Parliament. In elections held between 1932 and 1972 (the last till after the Lebanese Civil War), seats were apportioned between Christians and Muslims in a 6:5 ratio, with various denominations of the two faiths allocated representation roughly proportional to their size. By the 1960s, Muslims had become openly dissatisfied with this system, aware that their own higher birthrate and the higher emigration rate among Christians had by this time almost certainly produced a Muslim majority, which the parliamentary distribution did not reflect. Christian politicians were unwilling to abolish or alter the system, however, and it was one of the factors in the 1975–1990 civil war. The Taif Agreement of 1989, which ended the civil war, reapportioned the Parliament to provide for equal representation of Christians and Muslims, with each electing 64 of the 128 deputies.
Although distributed confessionally, all members, regardless of their religious faith, are elected by universal suffrage, forcing politicians to seek support from outside of their own religious communities, unless their co-religionists overwhelmingly dominate their particular constituency.
The changes stipulated by the Taif Agreement are set out in the table below*:
Confession | Before Taif | After Taif |
---|---|---|
Maronite | 30 | 34 |
Greek Orthodox | 11 | 14 |
Greek Catholic | 6 | 8 |
Armenian Orthodox | 4 | 5 |
Armenian Catholic | 1 | 1 |
Protestant | 1 | 1 |
Other Christians | 1 | 1 |
Total Christians | 54 | 64 |
Sunni | 20 | 27 |
Shi'ite | 19 | 27 |
Alawite | 0 | 2 |
Druze | 6 | 8 |
Total Muslims | 45 | 64 |
Total | 99 | 128 |
Allocation of seats in the 2009 election for the Parliament of Lebanon (Majlis an-Nuwwab)
according to The Doha Agreement |
Total | Maronites | Shi'a | Sunni | Greek Orthodox | Druze | Armenian | Greek Catholic | Alawite | Protestant | Other Christians | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Beirut 19 | Beirut 1 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 2 | 1 | - | - | - |
Beirut 2 | 4 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | |
Beirut 3 | 10 | - | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | |
Bekaa 23 | Bekaa+Hermel | 10 | 1 | 6 | 2 | - | 1 | - | 1 | - | - | - |
Zahlah | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | |
Rashaya+West Bekaa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |
Mount Lebanon 35 | Jbeil | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Kisrawan | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
North Metn | 8 | 4 | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | |
Baabda | 6 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |
Aley | 5 | 2 | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | |
Chouf | 8 | 3 | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
North Lebanon 28 | Akkar | 7 | 1 | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - |
Dinniyeh & Minieh | 3 | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Bsharreh | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Tripoli | 8 | 1 | - | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | |
Zgharta | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Kurah | 3 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Batrun | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
South Lebanon 23 | Saida | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
Tyre | 4 | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Zahrani | 3 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
Hasbaya & Marjeyoun | 5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | |
Nabatiyeh | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Bint Jbeil | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | |
Jezzine | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | |
Total 128 | 128 | 34 | 27 | 27 | 14 | 8 | 6 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 1 |
Read more about this topic: Parliament Of Lebanon
Famous quotes containing the word seats:
“Will the people in the cheaper seats clap your hands? All the rest of you, if youll just rattle your jewelry.”
—John Lennon (19401980)