March 8 Alliance

March 8 Alliance
Founded 2005 (2005)
Ideology Anti-Zionism
Pro-Syrian government
Political position Syncretic
Seats in the Parliament of Lebanon
63 / 128
Website
8march.org
Lebanon
This article is part of a series on the
politics and government of
Lebanon

The March 8 Alliance is a coalition of various political parties in Lebanon. It was the ruling coalition in Lebanon with the government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati from June 2011 until 23 March 2013.[1]

History

The name dates back to 8 March 2005 when different parties called for a mass demonstration in downtown Beirut in response to the Cedar Revolution. The demonstration thanked Syria for helping stop the Lebanese Civil War and the aid in stabilising Lebanon and supporting the Lebanese resistance to the Israeli occupation.

Inclusion of Free Patriotic Movement

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) was the basis of the March 14 Alliance movement. FPM launched the Liberation War against the Syrian Army on 14 March 1989 and participated in all demonstrations against the Syrian occupation until the Cedar Revolution's mass demonstration on 14 March 2005. The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) split from the March 14 Alliance on 6 February 2006, when its leader Michel Aoun signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hezbollah. FPM considered its project against the Syrian government completed when the Syrian army left Lebanon at the end of April 2005.

Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun eventually joined the rival March 8 Alliance, becoming one of its principal coalition partners.

Ruling Alliance (2011-2013)

The Progressive Socialist Party left the March 14 alliance in January 2011 after being one of its cornerstones and ostensibly aligned itself with the alliance's Change and Reform Bloc after Walid Jumblatt visited Damascus. This move gave the alliance and its partners a majority in the parliament, enabling them to name Najib Mikati as prime minister to form the Lebanese government of June 2011.

The government led by March 8 Alliance survived 22 months until Mikati's resignation on 23 March 2013.[2]

Constituent parties

It held 68 of 128 seats in the parliament after the 2009 elections and consisted of:

Party Arabic Name Seats in Parliament (after 2009 election) Demographic Base
Free Patriotic Movement at-Tayyar al-Watani al-Hurr

التيار الوطني الحر

 19 Maronite Christian
Amal Movement Harakat Amal

حركة أمل

 13 Shi'a Muslim
Hezbollah Hizballah

حزب الله

 12 Shi'a Muslim
Lebanese Democratic Party al-Hizb ad-Dimuqrati al-Lubnani

الحزب الديمقراطي اللبناني

 4 Druze
El Marada Movement Tayyar al-Marada

تيار المردة

 3 Christian, mainly Maronite
Glory Movement Harakat Majd

حركة مجد

 2 Sunni Muslim
Armenian Revolutionary Federation Tashnag

الطاشناق

 2 Armenian
Syrian Social Nationalist Party al-Hizb as-Suri al-Qawmi al-Ijtima'i

الحزب السوري القومي الإجتماعي

 2 Secular with support across all communities
Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party – Lebanon Region Hizb al-Ba'th al-Arabi al-Ishtiraki

حزب البعث العربي الإشتراكي

 2 Secular
Solidarity Party Hizb at-Tadamoun

حزب التضامن

 1 Maronite Christian
Skaff Bloc Kutlat Skaff

كتلة سكاف

 0 Greek Catholic Christian
Popular Nasserist Organization at-Tanzim ash-Sha’bi al-Nasiri

التنظيم الشعبي الناصري

 0 Sunni Muslim
Arab Democratic Party al-Hizb ad-Dimuqrati al-Arabi

الحزب الديمقراطي العربي

 0 Alawi Muslims

See also

List of attacks in Lebanon

References

  1. ↑ March 8 finished, Aoun out in the cold The Daily Star 10 July 2013
  2. ↑ El Basha, Thomas (22 March 2013). "Lebanese PM announces resignation of his government". The Daily Star. Retrieved 22 March 2013.
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