Politics of Lebanon - Political Parties and Elections

Political Parties and Elections

For other political parties see List of political parties in Lebanon. An overview on elections and election results is included in Elections in Lebanon.

Lebanon has numerous political parties, but they play a much less significant role in Lebanese politics than they do in most parliamentary democracies. Many of the "parties" are simply lists of candidates endorsed by a prominent national or local figure. Loose coalitions, usually organized locally, are formed for electoral purposes by negotiation among clan leaders and candidates representing various religious communities; such coalitions usually exist only for the election, and rarely form a cohesive bloc in the Parliament after the election. No single party has ever won more than 12.5 percent of the seats in the Parliament, and no coalition of parties has won more than 35 percent.

Especially outside of the major cities, elections tend to focus more on local than national issues, and it is not unusual for a party to join an electoral ticket in one constituency while aligned with a rival party - even an ideologically opposite party - in another constituency.


e • d Summary of the 7 June 2009 Lebanese Parliament election results
Alliances Seats Parties Seats
Government
68
27 Change and Reform bloc
Free Patriotic Movement (Tayyar Al-Watani Al-Horr) 19
Lebanese Democratic Party (Hizb al-democraty al-lubnany) 4
Marada Movement 3
Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Tashnag) 2
Solidarity Party (Hizb Al-Tadamon Al-Lubnany) 1
29 March 8 Alliance
Lebanese Resistance Detachments (Harakat Amal) 13
Loyalty to the Resistance (Hezbollah) 12
Syrian Social Nationalist Party (al-Hizb al-Qawmi al-souri al ijtima'i) 2
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party 2
12 Pro-Government Independents
Progressive Socialist Party 7
Glory Movement 2
Other 1
Opposition
60
60 March 14 Alliance
Future Movement (Tayyar Al Mustaqbal) 26
Lebanese Forces (al-Quwāt al-Lubnāniyya) 8
Phalange Party (Hizb al-Kataeb) 5
Murr Bloc 2
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (Social Democrat Hunchakian Party) 2
Islamic Group (Jamaa al-Islamiya) 1
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar Party) 1
Democratic Left Movement (ĥarakatu-l-yasāri-d-dimuqrātī) 1
National Liberal Party (Hizbu-l-waTaniyyīni-l-aHrār) 1
Independents (including Zahle-Bloc 6) 11
Total 128

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