Reply #8: actually Christians get exactly half the seats and Muslims the other half

[Douglas Carpenter]

- that includes Druze and Alawi's as Muslims. Not everyone would agree that they are Muslims. But, in Lebanon they are generally considered as such despite some of their unorthodox theology.

The political parties represented by the different communities are determined solely by the election. Also what coalition those various political parties from the various communities form to determine the governmental makeup is a matter of political negotiations following the elections.

The alternative to establishing how the various communities will be represented would almost certainly mean plunging the country into more civil war.

Lebanese parliament equally divided between Christians and Muslims

Published: Friday, 24 April, 2009 @ 7:22 PM in Beirut

link: http://yalibnan.com/site/archives/2009/04/lebanese_parlia_1.php

Beirut - A new parliament to be elected in Lebanon on June 7 will be apportioned among Christian and Muslim sects under a power-sharing formula that also divvies up Lebanon's main leadership positions by religion.


Under the 1989 agreement to end a 15-year civil war, the 128-seat parliament is divided equally between Christians and Muslims, and subdivided among the largest of the country's recognized 18 religious sects.

On the Christian side, Maronites get 34 seats, Greek Orthodox 14, Greek Catholics 8 , Armenians 6, Protestants 1 and another minority sect 1. On the Muslim side, Sunnis and Shiites each get 27 seats, the Druse sect 8 and the Alawite sect 2.

Under an unwritten but unbending tradition since Lebanon won independence in 1943, the president must be a Christian Maronite , the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim. The Cabinet must be divided evenly between Christians and Muslims.

The number of the candidates for the upcoming election is 587