2009 Lebanese general election

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2009 Lebanese general election

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All 128 seats to the Parliament of Lebanon
Turnout55.2% Increase 8.7%
  First party Second party Third party
 
Leader Saad Hariri Michel Aoun Nabih Berri
Party Future Movement FPM Amal Movement
Alliance March 14 March 8 March 8
Leader's seat Beirut III Keserwan Zahrani
Last election 36 seats 15 seats 14 seats
Seats won 33 19 14
Seat change Decrease 3 Increase 4 Steady 0

  Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party
 
Leader Hassan Nasrallah Walid Jumblatt Samir Geagea
Party Hezbollah PSP Lebanese Forces
Alliance March 8 None March 14
Leader's seat None Chouf None
Last election 14 seats 16 seats 6 seats
Seats won 13 11 8
Seat change Decrease 1 Decrease 5 Increase 2

  Seventh party Eighth party Ninth party
 
Leader Amine Gemayel Sleiman Frangieh Hagop Pakradounian
Party Kataeb Marada Movement Tashnag
Alliance March 14 March 8 March 8
Leader's seat None Zgharta Metn
Last election 3 seats 0 seats 2 seats
Seats won 5 3 2
Seat change Increase 2 Increase 3 Steady 0

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

Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on 7 June 2009[1][2] to elect all 128 members of the Parliament of Lebanon.

Background[edit]

Before the election, the voting age was to be lowered from 21 to 18 years, but as this requires a constitutional amendment, it did not happen before the election.[3]

Allocation of seats[edit]

Following a compromise reached in the Doha Agreement in 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]

Seat allocation

according to The Doha Agreement[6]

Seats
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
Batroun 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[edit]

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 28.6% 0 71.4% 3
Kisrawan 5 30.9% 0 69.1% 5
North Metn 8 42.4% 2 58.6% 6
Baabda 6 41.8% 0 58.2% 6
Aley 5 60.2% 4 39.8% 1
Chouf 8 69.6% 8 30.4% 0
North Lebanon 28 Akkar 7 61.1% 7 38.9% 0
Dinniyeh
+Minnieh
3 70.9% 3 29.1% 0
Bsharreh 2 71.4% 2 28.6% 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
Batroun 2 50.2% 2 49.8% 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 55.5% 71 44.5% 57

By party after the designation of Najib Mikati in January 2011[edit]

Parliament composition in june 2011 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) 2
  Marada Movement 3
  Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Tashnag) 2
  Solidarity Party (Hizb Al-Tadamon Al-Lubnany) 1
30 March 8 Alliance
  Amal Movement (Harakat Amal) 13
  Loyalty to the Resistance (Hezbollah) 13
  Syrian Social Nationalist Party (al-Hizb al-Qawmi al-souri al ijtima'i) 2
  Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party 2
11 Pro-Government Independents
  Progressive Socialist Party 7
  Glory Movement 2
  Safadi Bloc 2
Opposition
60
60 March 14 Alliance
  Future Movement (Tayyar Al Mustaqbal) 29
  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 ex-PSP) 10
 –  – Total 128

Source

Formation of government[edit]

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[edit]

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 formed a new government in the ensuing six months.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. ^ "Lebanon's ruling coalition urges lawmakers to ban presidential election – People's Daily Online".
  2. ^ "Lebanese Interior Ministry sets June 7 for Parliamentary elections – People's Daily Online".
  3. ^ "Lebanon voting age lowered by MPs". BBC News. 2009-03-19. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  4. ^ "Lebanon rivals agree crisis deal". BBC News. 2008-05-21. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  5. ^ "Lebanon approves new election law". BBC News. 2008-09-30. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  6. ^ "Blogger". accounts.google.com.
  7. ^ Slackman, Michael (7 June 2009). "Pro-Western Bloc Defeats Hezbollah in Lebanon Vote". NYT. Retrieved 7 June 2009.
  8. ^ Slackman, Michael (2009-06-09). "U.S.-Backed Alliance Wins Election in Lebanon". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  9. ^ "March 14 bloc wins Lebanon election". Al Jazeera English.
  10. ^ "Elections 09 – Lebanon Elections 2009". Archived from the original on 2010-06-25. Retrieved 2010-06-04.
  11. ^ International Foundation for Electoral Systems (9 November 2009). Lebanon's New Government (PDF) (Report). Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 June 2011.
  12. ^ Worth, Robert F. (2009-11-10). "Impasse Over, Lebanon Forms Cabinet". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
  13. ^ "Breaking News, World News and Video from al Jazeera".

External links[edit]