Official name: The Lebanese Republic
Capital: Beirut
Languages: Arabic (official), French, English
Major religions: Christianity, Islam
Population: 3.9 million
Currency: Lebanese Lira
Government: Republic, based on "confessionalism".
Lebanon is a small Middle Eastern country located at the eastern edge of the Mediterranean Sea. It is a largely mountainous area and is bordered by Syria to the north and east, and Israel to the south.
Lebanon is one of the most complex and deeply divided countries in the region as government structures are divided between various groups.
Lebanon was part of the Ottoman Empire for over 400 years, in a region known as Greater Syria. After World War I in 1916, the League of Nations granted France mandate over Lebanon and neighboring Syria.
 |
Political system Lebanon is a democratic republic which follows a special political system due to its sectarian diversity. The system is known as confessionalism and is meant to distribute an even amount of power among the various sects ensuring each sect is fairly represented in the governing body.
The Lebanese parliament has 128 parliamentary seats, which are divided proportionally between Muslims and Christians. The confessionalism system holds that the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, the parliament speaker a Shiite Muslim and the deputy prime minister an Orthodox Christian.
Before 1990 the Christians dominated with a ratio of 6:5, then the 1989 Taif Agreement adjusted the ratio to grant equal representation. The Lebanese constitution dictates that direct elections are held every four years, where parliament elects the president for a non-renewable six-year term.
However, in Lebanon's shady history this rule has been bypassed with two ad hoc amendments by Syria. The first was during Elias Hrawi’s term which was extended for another three years after it was due to end in 1995. The second was in 2004 when the procedure was repeated to allow Émile Lahoud to remain in office until 2007.
The system is run on a series of appointments where the President appoints a Prime Minister based on the nomination of the parliament. The prime minister then consults with the parliament and president and forms the cabinet, which is also based on equal sectarian distribution set out by confessionalism. |
