1964 Lebanese presidential election

Last updated
1964 Lebanese presidential election
Flag of Lebanon.svg
  1958 August 18, 1964 1970  
  Charles Helou president.jpg Pierre-Gemayel.jpg
Nominee Charles Helou Pierre Gemayel
Party Independent Kataeb Party
Electoral vote925
Percentage94.85%5.15%

President before election

Fouad Chehab
Independent

Elected President

Charles Helou
Independent

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on August 18, 1964, resulting in Charles Helou being elected President of the Lebanese Republic. [1]

Contents

By convention, the presidency is always attributed to a Maronite Christian. Under the article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the members of the then 99-seat Lebanese Parliament is required to elect the president in the first round. After the second round of election, the president is elected by an absolute majority of the total number of deputies in office. [2]

Results

All 99 MPs of parliament were present. [3] The first round of voting saw Charles Helou winning 92 votes, 5 votes for Pierre Gemayel along with 2 blank ballots. [3]

CandidateVotes%
Charles Helou 9294.85
Pierre Gemayel 55.15
Total97100.00
Blank votes22.02
Total votes99
Registered voters/turnout99100.00

Aftermath

The impressive economic growth that characterized Helou's presidency translated into a cultural and lifestyle belle époque in Lebanon (perhaps this gained the name for Beirut as the 'Paris of the Orient' and Lebanon as the 'Switzerland of the East'). However this period was also partly marred by the Intra Bank crisis of 1966 and Lebanon's increasing inability to avoid involvement in the Arab–Israeli conflict. The Six-Day War of 1967, strained sectarian relations in Lebanon. Many Muslims wanted Lebanon to join the Arab war effort, while many Christians wished to eschew participation. [4] Helou managed to keep Lebanon from entanglement, apart from a brief air strike, but found it impossible to put the lid on the tensions that had been raised. Parliamentary elections in 1968 revealed an increasing polarization in the country, with two major coalitions, one pro-Arab Nationalism, led by Rashid Karami and the other pro-Western, led jointly by former President Camille Chamoun, Pierre Gemayel and Raymond Eddé, both made major gains and won 30 of the 99 seats each. [5]

Related Research Articles

Kataeb Party Lebanese Christian democratic political party

The Kataeb Party, also known in English as the Phalanges, is a Christian political party in Lebanon. The party played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). In decline in the late 1980s and 1990s, the party slowly re-emerged in the early 2000s and is currently part of the March 14 Alliance.

Amine Gemayel Eighth President of Lebanon

Amine Pierre Gemayel is a Lebanese Maronite politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1982 to 1988.

Michel Aoun 13th President of Lebanon

Michel Naim Aoun is a Lebanese politician and former military general who has served as the President of Lebanon since 31 October 2016.

René Moawad 9th President of Lebanon (5th-22nd November 1989)

René Moawad was a Lebanese who was elected as the 9th President of the Lebanese Republic for 18 days in 1989, from the 5th to 22 November; before his assassination by unknown assailants.

Charles Helou

Charles Helou ‎ was a Lebanese politician and President of Lebanon from 1964 to 1970.

Pierre Gemayel Lebanese politician (1905-1984)

Pierre Amine Gemayel, also spelled Jmayyel, Jemayyel or al-Jumayyil, was a Lebanese political leader. A Maronite Catholic, he is remembered as the founder of the Kataeb Party, as a parliamentary powerbroker, and as the father of Bachir Gemayel and Amine Gemayel, both of whom were elected to the Presidency of the Republic in his lifetime.

Suleiman Frangieh Fifth President of Lebanon

Suleiman Kabalan Frangieh, last name also spelled Frangié,Franjieh, or Franjiyeh, was a Lebanese Maronite politician who was President of Lebanon from 1970 to 1976.

Raymond Eddé Lebanese politician

Raymond Émile Eddé was a Lebanese Maronite statesman who served his country for many years as a legislator and cabinet minister. He led the Lebanese National Bloc, an influential political party. The son of former President Émile Eddé, Raymond Eddé was himself a candidate for the presidency in 1958, and was proposed for the post on numerous subsequent occasions. He is remembered for having held consistent views, which he refused to compromise for the sake of political gain. His supporters called him "Lebanon's Conscience." He was a strong nationalist, who opposed the French Mandate, and later, Syrian, Israeli, and Palestinian military intervention in Lebanon.

Saeb Salam Prime Minister of Lebanon

Saeb Salam was a Lebanese politician, who served as Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973. Following his death, the Lebanese daily As-Safir described Salam as "most successful in dealing with the media and in presenting a particular image of himself to people on a daily basis through wearing his customary carnation ... and expounding unforgettable slogans", and that he was Lebanon's most popular prime minister after independence leader Riad Al Solh. A significant aspect of Salam was that, unlike other Lebanese leaders, he did not act as a chief over a particular area in the country. Salam fiercely advocated the unity of Lebanon.

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 25 May 2008, after the term of incumbent President Émile Lahoud expired on 24 November 2007 at midnight. General Michel Sleiman, the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, was elected as the consensus candidate after months of delays in holding the election due to an ongoing political dispute.

2014–2016 Lebanese presidential election

A series of rounds in the Lebanese presidential election were held from 23 April 2014 until 31 October 2016. No candidate reached a two-thirds majority vote in the first round, and subsequent rounds failed to gain a quorum. Finally, in the forty-sixth round held on 31 October 2016, Michel Aoun, a Member of Parliament and formerly a disputed Prime Minister and Acting President in a rival government near the end of the Lebanese Civil War, was elected with 83 votes in Parliament. He took office the same day as the 13th President of Lebanon since independence in 1943.

Henri Helou, is a Lebanese politician and a member of the Lebanese Parliament and a member of the Democratic Meeting.

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 13 October 1998, resulting in General Emile Lahoud being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.

24 November 1989 Lebanese presidential election

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 24 November 1989, resulting in Deputy Elias Hrawi being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.

5 November 1989 Lebanese presidential election

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 5 November 1989, resulting in Deputy René Moawad being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.

1970 Lebanese presidential election

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 17 August 1970, resulting in Deputy Suleiman Frangieh being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.

The First Lady of Lebanon is the title attributed to the wife of the President of Lebanon. The country's present first lady is Nadia El-Chami, wife of President Michel Aoun, who has held the position since October 31, 2016.

1976 Lebanese presidential election

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 8 May 1976, resulting in MP Élias Sarkis being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.

August 1982 Lebanese presidential election

An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 23 August 1982, resulting in Lebanese Forces leader Bachir Gemayel being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.

The 2022 Lebanese presidential election is an upcoming indirect election to elect the president of Lebanon due by the end of Michel Aoun's 6 year term. The seat is currently held by Michel Aoun who was elected after a 2-year presidential crisis.

References

  1. Leb.gov former Presidents Charles Helou
  2. Rabbath, Edmond. "La Constitution libanaise. Origines, textes et commentaires". Beyrouth: Publications de l'Université Libanaise, 1982, p. 301.
  3. 1 2 "Election of the Presidents of the Lebanese Republic". monthlymagazine.com. Retrieved 2022-06-09.
  4. Lee, Khoon Choy (1993) Diplomacy of a Tiny State World Scientific, ISBN 981-02-1219-4, p. 223
  5. "CHARLES HELOU - Prestige Magazine". Prestige Magazine. Retrieved 2015-11-30.