Lebanese general election, 2009

Lebanese general election, 2009
Lebanon
7 June 2009

All 128 seats to the Parliament of Lebanon
  First party Second party
 
Leader Saad Hariri Michel Aoun
Party March 14 March 8
Leader's seat Beirut 3 Keserwan
Last election 72 seats 56 seats
Seats won 71 57
Seat change Decrease1 Increase1

Areas with a March 14 majority in blue, areas with a March 8 majority in orange

Prime Minister before election

Fouad Siniora
March 14

Elected Prime Minister

Saad Hariri
March 14

This article is part of a series on the
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Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on 7 June 2009.[1][2]

Background

Prior to the election, the process to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years was put into motion, but as this requires a constitutional amendment, it did not happen before the election.[3]

Allocation of seats

Following a compromise reached in the Doha Agreement on May 2008 between the government and opposition, a new electoral law was put in place, as shown in the table below.[4] It was passed on 29 September 2008.[5]

colspan=2|Seat allocation

according to The Doha Agreement[6]

Total Maronites Shi'a Sunni Greek Orthodox Druze Armenian Orthodox Greek Catholic Alawite Protestant Other Christians 14 March 8 March
Beirut
19
Beirut 1 5 1 - - 1 - 1 1 - - 1 5 0
Beirut 2 4 - 1 1 - - 2 - - - - 2 2
Beirut 3 10 - 1 5 1 1 - - - 1 1 10 0
Bekaa 23 Baalbek
+Hermel
10 1 6 2 - - - 1 - - - 0 10
Zahleh 7 1 1 1 1 - 1 2 - - - 7 0
Rashaya
+West Bekaa
6 1 1 2 1 1 - - - - - 6 0
Mount Lebanon 35 Jbeil 3 2 1 - - - - - - - - 0 3
Kisrawan 5 5 - - - - - - - - - 0 5
North Metn 8 4 - - 2 - 1 1 - - - 2 6
Baabda 6 3 2 - - 1 - - - - - 0 6
Aley 5 2 - - 1 2 - - - - - 4 1
Chouf 8 3 - 2 - 2 - 1 - - - 8 0
North Lebanon 28 Akkar 7 1 - 3 2 - - - 1 - - 7 0
Dinniyeh
+Minieh
3 - - 3 - - - - - - - 3 0
Bsharreh 2 2 - - - - - - - - - 2 0
Tripoli 8 1 - 5 1 - - - 1 - - 8 0
Zgharta 3 3 - - - - - - - - - 0 3
Koura 3 - - - 3 - - - - - - 3 0
Batrun 2 2 - - - - - - - - - 2 0
South Lebanon 23 Saida 2 - - 2 - - - - - - - 2 0
Tyre 4 - 4 - - - - - - - - 0 4
Zahrani 3 - 2 - - - - 1 - - - 0 3
Hasbaya
+Marjeyoun
5 - 2 1 1 1 - - - - - 0 5
Nabatiyeh 3 - 3 - - - - - - - - 0 3
Bint Jbeil 3 - 3 - - - - - - - - 0 3
Jezzine 3 2 - - - - - 1 - - - 0 3
Total 128 128 34 27 27 14 8 5 8 2 1 2 71 57

Results

Logo of the Lebanese general election, 2009

Preliminary results indicated that the turnout had been as high as 55%.[7] The March 14 Alliance garnered 71 seats in the 128-member parliament, while the March 8 Alliance won 57 seats. This result is virtually the same as the result from the election in 2005. However, the March 14 alliance saw this as a moral victory over Hezbollah, who led the March 8 Alliance, and the balance of power was expected to shift in its favor.[8] Many observers expect to see the emergence of a National Unity Government similar to that created following the Doha Agreement in 2008.[9]

Election Results for each alliance[10] Total % 14M 14 March % 8M 8 March
Beirut
19
Beirut 1 5 52.1% 5 47.9% 0
Beirut 2 4 50.5% 2 49.5% 2
Beirut 3 10 69.6% 10 31.4% 0
Bekaa 23 Baalbek
+Hermel
10 21.6% 0 78.4% 10
Zahleh 7 52.7% 7 47.3% 0
Rashaya
+West Bekaa
6 53.3% 6 46.7% 0
Mount Lebanon 35 Jbeil 3 39.6% 0 60.4% 3
Kisrawan 5 44.9% 0 55.1% 5
North Metn 8 48.4% 2 51.6% 6
Baabda 6 43.8% 0 56.2% 6
Aley 5 61.2% 4 38.8% 1
Chouf 8 75.6% 8 24.4% 0
North Lebanon 28 Akkar 7 63.1% 7 36.9% 0
Dinniyeh
+Minnieh
3 70.9% 3 29.1% 0
Bsharreh 2 73.4% 2 26.6% 0
Tripoli 8 63.5% 8 36.5% 0
Zgharta 3 44.2% 0 55.8% 3
Koura 3 51.1% 3 48.9% 0
Batrun 2 52.2% 2 47.8% 0
South Lebanon 23 Saida 2 63.9% 2 36.1% 0
Tyre 4 06.8% 0 93.2% 4
Zahrani 3 10.0% 0 90.0% 3
Hasbaya
+Marjeyoun
5 21.4% 0 78.6% 5
Nabatiyeh 3 11.6% 0 88.4% 3
Bint Jbeil 3 05.8% 0 94.2% 3
Jezzine 3 25.5% 0 74.5% 3
Total 128 128 44.5% 71 55.5% 57

By party after the Elections

Alliances Opponents
Parties align=leftKataeb Party (Hizb al-Kataeb)
Future Movement
Murr Bloc
Glory Movement (Harakat Majd)
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party
National Liberal Party (Hizbu-l-waTaniyyīni-l-aHrār)
Government rowspan=4 valign=top align="right" United States
France
Saudi Arabia
Qatar
Source

By party after the designation of Najib Mikati in January 2011

 Summary of the 7 June 2009 Lebanese Parliament election results
Alliances Seats Parties Seats
Government
68
29 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
     Amal Movement (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
10 Pro-Government Independents
     Progressive Socialist Party 7
     Glory Movement 2
     Other 1
Opposition
58
58 March 14 Alliance
     Future Movement (Tayyar Al Mustaqbal) 26
     Lebanese Forces (al-Quwāt al-Lubnāniyya) 8
     Kataeb 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 126

Formation of government

As is typical of Lebanese politics political wrangling after the elections took 5 months.[11] Only in November was the composition of the new cabinet agreed upon: 15 seats for the March 14 Alliance, 10 for the March 8 Alliance, and 5 nominated by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who has cast himself as a neutral party between the two main political blocks.[12]

Aftermath

The government fell in January 2011 after the March 8 alliance's 11 ministers withdrew from the government over PM Hariri's refusal to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss possible indictments to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.[13]

The March 8 alliance former a new government in the ensuing six months.

See also

References

External links

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