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| Lebanese Parliament | |
|---|---|
| Name | Parliament of Lebanon |
| Native name | مجلس النواب |
| Legislature | Lebanese Parliament |
| House type | Unicameral |
| Established | 1920 (as Representative Council), 1926 (Constitution) |
| Leader1 type | Speaker |
| Leader1 | Nabih Berri |
| Leader2 type | Deputy Speakers |
| Members | 128 |
| Voting system | Multiple non-transferable vote with sectarian quotas |
| Last election | 2022 Lebanese general election |
| Meeting place | Beirut City Hall / Palace of the Parliament, Beirut |
Lebanese Parliament Lebanese Parliament is the unicameral national legislature of the Lebanon Republic, constituted by the 1926 Lebanese Constitution and modified by national accords such as the Taif Agreement. It convenes in Beirut and is legally charged with lawmaking, budget approval, and executive oversight. The body reflects Lebanon’s consociational arrangement established after the Lebanese Civil War and embedded in power-sharing practices among sectarian communities.
The roots trace to the 1920 proclamation of the State of Greater Lebanon under the League of Nations mandate and the 1926 establishment of a constitutional parliament modeled on French institutions during the French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon. Post-independence developments include the 1943 National Pact (Lebanon) that informally balanced top offices among Maronite Christians, Sunni Muslims, and Shi'a Islam representatives, and the 1975–1990 Lebanese Civil War which disrupted parliamentary life until reconstruction under the Taif Agreement reallocated seats and altered the political equilibrium. Subsequent milestones include multiple electoral laws, international interventions such as the Taif-era Syrian presence, the 2005 Cedar Revolution, and the 2006 and 2019–2020 protest movements that impacted legislative agendas and alliances.
The assembly comprises 128 deputies seated for fixed terms, allocated by religious confession across electoral districts. The Presidency is reserved for a Maronite (Christian), the Prime Ministry for a Sunni politician, and the parliamentary speakership customarily held by a Shia leader—traditions reflected in long-tenured figures like Nabih Berri. Members form parliamentary blocs often centered on personalities and sectarian affiliation including blocs aligned with Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, Future Movement, Hezbollah, Amal Movement, and the Progressive Socialist Party. The chamber elects a Speaker, Deputy Speakers, and a President of the Republic is chosen by the assembly in separate procedures defined by the Lebanese Constitution.
Elections use a multiple non-transferable vote mechanism within multi-member districts combined with confessional seat allocations. The 2008 Doha Agreement and later reforms influenced district boundaries and proportionality while retaining sectarian quotas per the Taif Agreement. Major electoral moments include the 2009 and 2018 general elections, and the 2022 parliamentary election that followed political crises and economic collapse. Electoral competition involves lists, candidate alliances, and municipal networks tied to families, religious institutions like the Maronite Church, and regional actors including Syria and Iran influencing partisan alignments.
Under the Lebanese Constitution, the assembly legislates, approves the national budget, ratifies treaties, and exercises confidence over the Council of Ministers through votes of no confidence. It elects the President of Lebanon and supervises national security appointments and the judiciary through confirmation procedures. The chamber debates emergency measures in crises such as the 2006 Lebanon War and the 2020 Beirut port explosion, and interfaces with international bodies including the United Nations on mandates like UNIFIL. It also serves as a forum for reconciliation among communities governed by intermediaries such as religious authorities and clan leaders.
Regular sessions convene per constitutional schedule while extraordinary sittings may be called by the Speaker, President, or a parliamentary bloc. Debates are governed by internal rules adopted by the assembly and by practices derived from French parliamentary procedure; speaking orders, quorum requirements, and voting modalities (show of hands, roll call) determine legislative outcomes. Committees prepare dossiers for plenary debates; emergency ordinances and urgent bills follow accelerated procedures. The chamber’s archives and stenographic records document proceedings, and sittings are sometimes subject to boycotts by opposition blocs as occurred during key confidence debates after the Cedar Revolution.
Parliamentary life is dominated by party formations and personalist blocs such as Hezbollah–Amal Movement alignments, the March 14 Alliance, the March 8 Alliance, and centrist coalitions like the Kataeb Party and Lebanese Democratic Party. New civic lists emerged from the 2019–2020 protest movement, spawning independents and coalitions like the Kulluna Watani initiatives. Inter-bloc negotiations shape government formation, knockout votes, and budget approvals; external patronage from states including France, Saudi Arabia, and Iran also influences bloc behavior.
The chamber operates standing committees—Finance and Budget, Foreign Affairs, Constitutional and Legislative, Defense and Internal Security—composed of deputies reflecting party and sectarian balances. Committees draft bills, summon ministers, and conduct inquiries into scandals such as corruption allegations involving state institutions and public enterprises like the National Social Security Fund. Legislation requires committee review, plenary approval, and presidential promulgation; disputed laws may trigger constitutional review by the Constitutional Council. Parliamentary oversight extends to appointments in the Central Bank of Lebanon and to investigation committees examining crises such as the Beirut port explosion and banking sector failures.
Category:Politics of Lebanon Category:Legislatures