Municipal election in the Lebanese capital Beirut was held on 8 May 2016. [1] Election was held for 24 seats in the municipal council of the city. [2]
Some 470,000 persons were eligible to vote in the election. [2] The population of Beirut is around four times larger than the electorate, as many Beirut residents remains in the electoral census of their ancestral home villages. [3]
The two main contending lists were 'Beirutis' list' and Beirut Madinati ('Beirut is my city'). [2] The Beirutis' List was supported by Saad Hariri, and included politicians from both the 14 March Alliance and the 8 March Alliance. [4] Amongst the parties supporting the list were the Future Movement, Amal Movement and the three main Christian parties. [5] Beirut Madinati was a platform that emerged from civic protests in the 2015 garbage crisis. [6] Film director Nadine Labaki was one of the 24 candidates of Beirut Madinati. [6] Another list in the fray was the secular 'Citizens in the state' list, led by former minister Charbel Nahhas. [4] [6] Notably Hezbollah did not endorse any municipal council candidates, [5] "preferring to concentrate on other municipalities south of the city." [7]
Just around 20% of the eligible voters cast their ballots. [4] Security was tight at polling stations, with armed forces deployed. [8]
Lebanon is a parliamentary democratic republic within the overall framework of confessionalism, a form of consociationalism in which the highest offices are proportionately reserved for representatives from certain religious communities. The constitution of Lebanon grants the people the right to change their government. However, from the mid-1970s until the parliamentary elections in 1992, the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990) precluded the exercise of political rights.
Michel Naim Aoun is a Lebanese politician and former military general who served as the President of Lebanon from 31 October 2016 until 30 October 2022.
The Cedar Revolution or the Independence Intifada was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The popular movement was remarkable for its avoidance of violence, peaceful approach, and its total reliance on methods of civil resistance.
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The 2006–2008 Lebanese protests were a series of political protests and sit-ins in Lebanon that began on 1 December 2006, led by groups that opposed the US and Saudi-backed government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora and ended on 21 May 2008 with the signing of the Doha Agreement. The opposition was made up of Hezbollah, Amal, and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM); a number of smaller parties were also involved, including the Marada party, the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party. A majority of the members of the government were part of the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance, a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon. The two groups were also divided along religious lines, with most Sunnis and Druze supporting the government, and most Shi'a supporting the opposition. The Christian community was split between the two factions, with Michel Aoun, the leader of the FPM, claiming to have more than 70% support among the Christians, based on the results of the 2005 parliamentary election.
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General elections were held in Lebanon on 6 May 2018. Although originally scheduled for 2013, the election was postponed three times in 2013, 2014 and 2017 for various reasons, including the security situation, the failure of the Parliament to elect a new President, and the technical requirements of holding an election. A new electoral law adopted in 2017 provides a proportional representation system for the first time.
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Beirut Madinati is a volunteer-led political campaign emerged in April 2016 to run in 8 May 2016 Beirut municipality elections and in the 2022 Lebanese general elections. The campaign launched from the 2015–16 Lebanese protests as a reaction to power and water shortages, streets filled with trash and a dizzying urban infrastructure. It built its campaign around a 10-point program where it promises to work on (1) mobility, (2) greenery and public spaces, (3) affordable housing, (4) waste management, (5) natural heritage, (6) community spaces and services, (7) socio-economic development, (8) environmental sustainability, (9) health and safety and (10) municipal governance. Beirut Madinati, bases its core values as being the primacy of the public good, social justice, transparency, and stewardship of their city for future generations.
Beirut I is an electoral district in Lebanon. The district elects eight members of the Lebanese National Assembly – three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Greek Catholic, one Greek Orthodox, one Maronite and one Minorities.
Beirut II is an electoral district in Beirut, Lebanon, as per the 2017 vote law. The district elects 11 members of the Lebanese National Assembly - 6 Sunnis, 2 Shias, 1 Druze, 1 Greek Orthodox, 1 Evangelical.
General elections were held in Lebanon on 15 May 2022 to elect all 128 members of the Lebanese Parliament. The country has for several years been the subject of chronic political instability as well as a serious economic crisis aggravated by the 2020 explosions that hit the Port of Beirut and faced large-scale demonstrations against the political class.
Voting to elect eleven members of the Lebanese parliament took place in the Beirut II district on 6 May 2018, part of the general election of that year. The constituency had 353,164, out of whom 143,829 voted. Residents elect 6 Sunnis, 2 Shias, 1 Druze, 1 Greek Orthodox and 1 Evangelical.
Voting to elect eight members of the Lebanese parliament took place in the Beirut I district on 15 May 2022, part of the general election of that year. The constituency had 134,886 registered voters out of whom 48,311 voted.