Lebanese general election, 2009

Lebanese general election, 2009

7 June 2009

All 128 seats to the Parliament of Lebanon   First party Second party Third party   Leader Saad Hariri Michel Aoun Nabih Berri Party Future Movement Free Patriotic Movement Amal Movement Alliance March 14 March 8 March 8 Leader's seat Beirut 3 Keserwan Zahrani Last election 36 seats, 28.12% 15 seats, 11.71% 14 seats, 10.93% Seats won 26 19 13 Seat change 10 4 1 Percentage 20,31% 14,84% 10,16%   Fourth party Fifth party Sixth party   Leader Hassan Nasrallah Samir Geagea Walid Jumblatt Party Hezbollah Lebanese Forces Progressive Socialist Party Alliance March 8 March 14 None Leader's seat None None Chouf Last election 14 seats, 10.93% 6 seats, 4.68% 16 seats, 12.50% Seats won 12 8 7 Seat change 2 2 9 Percentage 9,37% 6,25% 5,46%   Seventh party Eighth party   Leader Amine Gemayel Suleiman Frangieh, Jr. Party Kataeb Party Marada Movement Alliance March 14 March 8 Leader's seat None Zgharta Last election 2 seats, 1,52% 0 seats Seats won 5 3 Seat change 3 3 Percentage 3,90% 2,34%

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]

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=left	Kataeb 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

• Lebanese general election, 2005

References

1. Lebanon's ruling coalition urges lawmakers to ban presidential election - People's Daily Online
2. http://english.people.com.cn/90001/90777/90854/6567795.html
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. Blacksmiths of Lebanon: 2009 Electoral Districts
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". New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
9. "March 14 bloc wins Lebanon election". Al Jazeera English.
10. Elections 09 - Lebanon Elections 2009
11. International Foundation for Electoral Systems (9 November 2009). Lebanon's New Government (PDF) (Report).
12. Worth, Robert F. (2009-11-10). "Impasse Over, Lebanon Forms Cabinet". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
13. http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/20111148327398443.html

External links

• Official Site
• Lebanese Elections 2009 BLOG
• Interactive Result Map
• Obama's Path Passes Through Lebanon by Pol Marillas, Opinion, June 2009; European Union Institute for Security Studies