The Politics of Lebanon By Simrat Sangha

Lebanon’s Political System

If you want to understand Lebanon and how it functions then looking at how the political system operates is a major thing to know. Lebanon is officially modelled on a Parliamentary democracy in which power is divided into three branches of government: The judicial branch, the legislative branch which is called the National Assembly, and finally the executive branch. “The head of state is the President who is elected via a two thirds majority by the National Assembly,” ( Britannica, 2022, Government and Society section ). While the President is the head of state he must work with the Assembly to select a member to become Prime Minister and form a cabinet. However, while this seems like a democracy you could find in the West, there is a key difference and that is the seats in the parliament and in the cabinet are assigned based on a person’s religion. There are eighteenth religious sects in Lebanon and all of these groups are assigned seats in Lebanon’s 128 seat parliament in proportion to the population.  For example: The President must be a Maronite Christian, The Prime Minister must be a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of the House must be a Shia Muslim (Khatib & Wallacew, 2021, Lebanon’s Political system section). The system was created in 1943 after Lebanon received independence from France and was meant to share power between the elites of each different sect. Now a very optimistic view of this system is that it gives all of Lebanon’s religious sects an equal say in the government, but in reality it was meant to preserve the power of the elites. Positions in the government are often handed not on merit but as gifts from powerful members of governments to their allies. A great example of this is how the running of the Beirut Port was designed, “to share power between different elites," (Human Rights Watch [HRW], 2021), and as a result of this arrangement it ,"allowed corruption and mismanagement to flourish,” ( Human Rights Watch [HRW], 2021). Another key feature of this system is that often all the different sects are competing against each other in order to obtain key government positions instead of working together to govern the country. This in turn makes the government a bunch of , “ competing bureaucratic fiefdoms,” (Khatib & Wallace, 2021, Lebanon’s Political system). While religion plays an important role in politics in Lebanon, political parties often form alliances or coalitions regarding certain policy issues. For example the ,"Shia Muslim (Hezbollah) Party and the Christian (Free Patriotic Party) are united by a pro-Syrian agenda," (Khatib & Wallace, 2021, Religion's influence on Lebanese politics). Despite all of the problems that can be found, this system is very resilient as not even a a fifteenth year long civil war (1975-1990), and invasions from Syria and Israel have not been able to cause its collapse. However, in 1989 an agreement known as the Taif Agreement was reached and sought to reform the political system by removing sectarianism in the parliament and limiting it two, “a new upper house,” (Khatib & Wallace, 2021, Lebanon’s Political System). Unfortunately, because this was going to create a more democratic and accountable parliament, many of Lebanon's political elites didn't bother in trying to implement these reforms.  

Desrayaud,L and Wang, J. (2018). Lebanese General Election, 2018 [Photograph]. Reuters. https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-lebanon-election-system-explainer-idUKKBN1HX2NS 

 A Brief Overview of the Lebanese Civil War

The Lebanese Civil War (1975-1990) was a conflict that broke out in 1975 over, “long-simmering discontent over the large Palestinian presence in the country,” (Robinson, 2021, “origins”). These Palestinians were refugees, and many of Lebanon’s religious sects had different views on how to handle this crisis. Another factor leading to the war was that many Shiite Muslims , “felt increasingly marginalized by the ruling Christian minority,” (Robinson, 2021, origins). As of result of these issues Lebanon’s delicate political system was thrown into disarray. The war ended when the Tiaf Agreement was signed.

 

    The Political Fallout from the Blast

Considering the scale of the blast and the government's inability to prevent this disaster the political system was sent into a state of shock. On August 10, 2020 then Prime Minister Hassan Diab  announced that he and his entire cabinet would resign over the explosion, but would, “ stay on in a caretaker capacity until a new cabinet is formed,”( British Broadcasting Company [BBC], 2020). Considering that the Prime Minister has to be Sunni Muslim finding a candidate that had the backing of a two thirds majority is a difficult task to do. Eventually it took a year but a candidate was found in Saad Harri, who had served as Prime Minister between ,"2009-2011 and 2016-2020," ( Forbes, n.d.). However, he was unable to form a cabinet and as a result he had ,"to resign in July 2021," (Loft, 2021). As the country was trying to form a new government there was growing inflation and a lack of basic necessities such as food and medicine.

 Global News. (2020, August 7). Beirut explosion: Video shows new angle of the massive blast. [Video]. Youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNDhIGR-83w

 

 

 

 

However in the same month a new government was formed under Najib Mikati, a Lebanese billionaire who was also a former Prime Minister twice. In 2011 he had to resign over protests about the role of sectarianism in Lebanon’s politics.  Mikati and members of his family have been accused of participating in , “various corrupt dealings,” ( Houri, 2021, A new prime minister section ). He is also generally seen as being apart of the political elite. If you think his appointment as Prime Minster would bring the country some stability you would sadly be wrong. On March 14, 2022 Mikati announced that he would not be running for reelection which is going to take place on May 15, 2022. His reasoning behind this is that he wishes two , “provide room for the new generation,” (Reuters, 2022). However, based on how the political system is structured it often favours , “powerful families and political dynasties,” (Khatbi & Wallace, 2021, Lebanon’s Politicians section). 

  Malla, H.(2020). Can Lebanon Rebuild Not Just Beirut, but its Broken Political System, 2020 [Photograph]. World Politics Review. https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/29024/in-lebanon-corruption-has-broken-the-political-system-can-it-be-rebuilt  

The Investigation into the Blast

An investigation revealed that the chemicals (ammonium nitrate) had come to the port in 2013, via a Moldavian cargo ship named the Rhosus that was heading over to Mozambique. The ship was declared unfit for sail and the ammonium nitrate and was stored in a warehouse (HRW, 2021). Government officials ranging from custom officers, cabinet ministers, security officials, and finally the Prime Minister were made aware of the danger posed by these chemicals. Port officials did try to sell the chemicals but kept on using the wrong procedures to do so over and over again even when they told not to by the Lebanese judicial system. Senior officials either ignored the warnings about the chemicals or , “failed to act in a timely way to remove the threat,” (HRW, 2021).

 After the explosion government officials announced that , “the cause would be investigated vigorously and expeditiously,” (HRW, 2021). However, despite these claims the investigation into the blast has been suspended twice. The reason for this is that whenever charges have been laid out against former of current government ministers they cite their immunity from criminal charges, or accuse the investigating judges of , “overstepping their powers or not being impartial,” (British Broadcasting Corporation [BBC], 2018). The investigation is further hindered by, “ a lack of judicial independence, lack of respect for fair trials, and a respect for due process,” (HRW, 2021). With these issues affecting the investigation it seems unlikely that the individuals responsible for this tragedy will be held responsible.

The role of Hezbollah in Lebanon’s government

Due to the nature of how the political system the Lebanese government is unable to effectively govern the country. As a result this leads to non-state actors to fill in the gap, and Hezbollah is arguably the most influential and powerful one. Hezbollah (“party of God,” ADL, 2022) is a Shia muslim organization that was created in 1982 in the aftermath of Israeli invasion of Lebanon. This were , “influenced by the theocratic government in Iran.. which came to power in 1979,” (Robinson, 2021, “origins”). They are viewed as terrorist organization by many Western nations and are responsible for committing terrorist attacks against American and Israeli soldiers as well as targeting civilians. What makes Hezbollah unique is that they operate both as a political party and as a militia force. Their militia constitutes over twenty thousand active fighters with an additional twenty thousand in reserve. In addition to this they make use of ,"tanks, drones, and long range rockets," (Robinson, 2021, “role in politics”). Hezbollah currently controls over thirteenth seats in the Lebanese Parliament and since 2005 has held positions in the Prime Ministers Cabinet. In order to gain support from the local population they updated their party manifesto in 2009 which cut back on Islamism and advocated for , “true democracy,” (Robinson, 2021, “role in politics”). The organization also provides services such as providing  , “ infrastructure, healthcare programs, schools, and youth programs,” (Robinson, 2021, “role in politics”).  These programs have helped it gain support from other religious sects as well for example, " around 31 percent of Christians and around 9 percent of Sunni Muslims support the group" (Robinson, 2021, "role in politics"). The group is also well funded receiving aid from Iran, conducts criminal activity in Latin America, and runs a , “satellite television network Al-Manar (The Beacon),” in order to spread propaganda and transport money (Anti-Defamation League [ADL], 2022). While the group enjoys steady support from Lebanon Shia community which makes up , “about 40 percent of Lebanon’s population,” (ADL, 2022), this support has become strained, when in 2019 the group was a target of protestors who were protesting rising , “unemployment, poverty, and debt,” (ADL, 2022). The port blast further reduced the support for the group as several politicians backed by the group are being investigated for negligence in relation to the blast. Despite this the group is still a powerful force in Lebanon and is a prime example of the government’s failure to govern properly. 

Taher, A. (2021). Saudi Arabia designates Hezbollah’s financial arm as terrorists, 2021 [Photograph]. Al-Jazeera. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/10/27/saudi-arabia-hezbollah-lebanon-al-qard-al-hassan-terrorists 

Bibliography For Simrat’s Blog 

1. Loft, P. (2021). Lebanon: One year on from the Beirut explosion. UK Parliament. https://commonslibrary.parliament.uk/lebanon-one-year-on-from-the-beirut-explosion/ 

2. Beirut explosion: Lebanon’s government resigns as public anger mounts. (2020, August 10). BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-53722909

3. Khatib, L and Wallace, J. (2021). Lebanon’s politics and politicians. Chatham House.https://www.chathamhouse.org/2021/08/lebanons-politics 

4. Houri, Walid. (2021, September 16). Authoritarian, corrupt, and more of the same. Lebanon has a new government. Opendemocracy: free thinking for the world. https://www.opendemocracy.net/en/north-africa-west-asia/authoritarian-corrupt-and-more-same-lebanon-has-new-government/ 

5. Human Rights Watch. (2021). “They Killed Us from the Inside”: An Investigation into the August 4 Beirut Blast.

6. Britannica. (2022). Lebanon- Government and Society. https://www.britannica.com/place/Lebanon/Government-and-society

7. Beirut port explosion investigation suspended for the second time. (2021, September 27). BBC. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-58705687 

8. Robinson, K. (2021). What is Hezbollah ? Council of Foreign Relations. https://www.cfr.org/backgrounder/what-hezbollah

9. Anti-Defamation League. (2022). Hezbollah. https://www.adl.org/resources/glossary-terms/hezbollah

10. Saad Hariri. (2020). Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/profile/saad-hariri/?sh=61f8eb9765b5  

11. Rayes, K. (2022, March 28). Aerial Photos of Lebanon Blast, port of Beirut explosion 4th of august 2020 [Photograph]. Shuttershock. https://www.shutterstock.com/catalog/licenses 

12. Rayes, K. (2022, March 28). Aerial Photos of Lebanon Blast, port of Beirut explosion 4th of august 2020 [Photograph]. Shuttershock. https://www.shutterstock.com/catalog/licenses