Lebanese presidential election, 2008
Encyclopedia
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.
By convention, the presidency is usually attributed to a Maronite Christian personality. Under the article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two thirds of the members of the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament
is required to elect the president. After the second round of election, the president is elected by a simple majority
of 65 MPs out of 128.
The requested quorum
was not formed in the first round (scheduled on 25 September 2007) since opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary session
.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
initially postponed the session to October 23, 2007, as previously suggested.. The session was then further postponed to 12 November 2007, then to 21 November 2007 and finally to 23 November 2007, when the incumbent's term ends.
However, on 23 November the session was further postponed until 30 November 2007, and then to 7 December 2007.
On December 7 the reforms to the Constitution needed to elect consensus candidate General Michel Sleiman had not been finished yet and the vote was postponed again to 11 December 2007. On that date, it was postponed to 17 December 2007, and then again to 22 December 2007 and to 29 December 2007. On 28 December, it was again delayed to 12 January 2008; on 11 January it was again delayed to 21 January 2008, and then, on 20 January, it was delayed to 11 February 2008. On 9 February, it was again delayed to 26 February 2008, and on 25 February 2008 again delayed until 11 March 2008, then on 9 March 2008 delayed until 25 March 2008. It was then delayed on 24 March 2008 to 22 April 2008. On 22 April 2008, the session was postponed and on 26 April the new date was set to 13 May 2008.
Parliament postponed a vote on a new Lebanese president for the 19th time, delaying the session to June 10, 2008. After the Doha Agreement was decided upon on 21 May 2008, a session to elect the president was called on 22 May 2008 to occur on 25 May 2008. On this date, Michel Sleiman was finally elected.
Four candidates from the March 14 Alliance
were among the possible standing candidates: MP Boutros Harb
, Minister of Justice Charles Rizk
,
MP Robert Ghanem and former MP Nassib Lahoud
. MP Michel Aoun
from the Free Patriotic Movement
is the single opposition candidate.
The vote was expected to be tense, especially after the assassination of Phalangist MP Antoine Ghanem
on 19 September 2007. March 14 leaders, who blame the Syria
n government for the assassination of Ghanem, vowed to hold the presidential election as scheduled and to possibly elect a March 14 candidate as president even by simple majority
after the second round.
The opposition, which includes Hezbollah, Amal
and the Free Patriotic Movement
, demanded the formation of a national unity cabinet and warned that an election by simple majority would result in the formation of a shadow cabinet
.
An opinion poll by IPSOS and published on 17 September 2005 suggested that the majority of Lebanese may look favourably at a consensual candidate.
The LAF
Chief Commander Michel Sleiman, the Governor of the Central Bank
Riad Salame and the former FA Minister Jean Obeid were credited as possible "consensual" candidates. Sleiman turned out to be the eventual consensus candidate, but his election required constitutional amendments allowing senior state officials to become president.
The term of the ex-president Émile Lahoud
was extended for three years in 2004, allegedly under pressure from the Syria
n government. Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April 2005, after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri
and the subsequent mass demonstrations known as Cedar Revolution
. The general election in Spring 2005 resulted in a majority of 72 seats out of 128 for the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance
.
announced that he was in favour of Michel Sleiman becoming the next president of Lebanon. A constitutional amendment will have to be passed with a two-thirds majority in Lebanon's parliament to allow military commanders to move directly into the presidential office, but it seems certain that the majority will be achieved with both Aoun and the 14 March Alliance in favour. On 3 December, the March 14 Alliance announced it would draft a constitutional amendment to allow Sleiman to become president.
Sleiman, however, threatened to withdraw from the presidential race if the parties were not able to come to agreement.
A compromise deal was finally reached on 21 May 2008 (dealing with the issues of a new electoral law, a unity government and Hezbollah's disarmament), leading to Sleiman's election on 25 May 2008 as planned. Out of the 127 votes, Sleiman received 118, while three members of parliament voted for others and six abstained.
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
on 25 May 2008, after the term of incumbent President Émile Lahoud
Émile Lahoud
General Émile Jamil Lahoud is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite_Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shia...
expired on 24 November 2007 at midnight. General Michel Sleiman, the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
, was elected as the consensus candidate after months of delays in holding the election due to an ongoing political dispute.
By convention, the presidency is usually attributed to a Maronite Christian personality. Under the article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two thirds of the members of the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
is required to elect the president. After the second round of election, the president is elected by a simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
of 65 MPs out of 128.
The requested quorum
Quorum
A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly necessary to conduct the business of that group...
was not formed in the first round (scheduled on 25 September 2007) since opposition MPs boycotted the parliamentary session
Session
-Bureaucracy:*Executive session, a portion of the United States Senate's daily session*Legislative session*Session *Session , a governing body in Presbyterian polity*Court of Session, the supreme civil court of Scotland...
.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri
Nabih Berri
Nabih Berri is the Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon. He heads the mostly Shi'a Amal Movement.-Biography:He was born in Bo, Sierra Leone to Lebanese parents. He went to school in Tebnine and Ain Ebel in southern Lebanon and later studied at the Makassed and the Ecole de la Sagesse in Beirut...
initially postponed the session to October 23, 2007, as previously suggested.. The session was then further postponed to 12 November 2007, then to 21 November 2007 and finally to 23 November 2007, when the incumbent's term ends.
However, on 23 November the session was further postponed until 30 November 2007, and then to 7 December 2007.
On December 7 the reforms to the Constitution needed to elect consensus candidate General Michel Sleiman had not been finished yet and the vote was postponed again to 11 December 2007. On that date, it was postponed to 17 December 2007, and then again to 22 December 2007 and to 29 December 2007. On 28 December, it was again delayed to 12 January 2008; on 11 January it was again delayed to 21 January 2008, and then, on 20 January, it was delayed to 11 February 2008. On 9 February, it was again delayed to 26 February 2008, and on 25 February 2008 again delayed until 11 March 2008, then on 9 March 2008 delayed until 25 March 2008. It was then delayed on 24 March 2008 to 22 April 2008. On 22 April 2008, the session was postponed and on 26 April the new date was set to 13 May 2008.
Parliament postponed a vote on a new Lebanese president for the 19th time, delaying the session to June 10, 2008. After the Doha Agreement was decided upon on 21 May 2008, a session to elect the president was called on 22 May 2008 to occur on 25 May 2008. On this date, Michel Sleiman was finally elected.
Four candidates from the March 14 Alliance
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
were among the possible standing candidates: MP Boutros Harb
Boutros Harb
Boutros Harb , is a Lebanese politician.A lawyer by profession, he first held political office when elected in 1972 as the Maronite deputy for Batroun, in the North Governorate of Lebanon, being appointed Public Transport Minister for Labour and Minister of the National Education and Art Schools...
, Minister of Justice Charles Rizk
Charles Rizk
Charles Rizk , born in Beirut in 1935, is a Lebanese Maronite politician. A student at the prestigious Institut d'Etudes Politiques de Paris, Rizk began his political career as an aide to President Fuad Chehab...
,
MP Robert Ghanem and former MP Nassib Lahoud
Nassib Lahoud
Nassib Lahoud is a Lebanese-Christian political figure born on 23 November 1944 in Baabdat - Matn, Lebanon. He has held various political posts including Ambassador to the USA, Member of Parliament and Minister of State...
. MP Michel Aoun
Michel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
from the Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
is the single opposition candidate.
The vote was expected to be tense, especially after the assassination of Phalangist MP Antoine Ghanem
Antoine Ghanem
Antoine Ghanem was a Lebanese politician and an MP in the Lebanese Parliament. He was also a member of the Kataeb party and the March 14 Coalition. He was killed on September 19, 2007 in a car bomb explosion in the Sin al-Fil suburb of Beirut...
on 19 September 2007. March 14 leaders, who blame the Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n government for the assassination of Ghanem, vowed to hold the presidential election as scheduled and to possibly elect a March 14 candidate as president even by simple majority
Majority
A majority is a subset of a group consisting of more than half of its members. This can be compared to a plurality, which is a subset larger than any other subset; i.e. a plurality is not necessarily a majority as the largest subset may consist of less than half the group's population...
after the second round.
The opposition, which includes Hezbollah, Amal
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
and the Free Patriotic Movement
Free Patriotic Movement
The Free Patriotic Movement , also known as the "Aounist Movement" , is a Lebanese political party, led by Michel Aoun and allied with Hezbollah, The movement was officially declared a political party on September 18, 2005Though most of the party's support comes from Lebanon's...
, demanded the formation of a national unity cabinet and warned that an election by simple majority would result in the formation of a shadow cabinet
Shadow Cabinet
The Shadow Cabinet is a senior group of opposition spokespeople in the Westminster system of government who together under the leadership of the Leader of the Opposition form an alternative cabinet to the government's, whose members shadow or mark each individual member of the government...
.
An opinion poll by IPSOS and published on 17 September 2005 suggested that the majority of Lebanese may look favourably at a consensual candidate.
The LAF
Lebanese Armed Forces
The Lebanese Armed Forces or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the Lebanese Army according to its official Website The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (Arabic: القوات المسلحة اللبنانية | Al-Quwwāt al-Musallaḥa al-Lubnāniyya) or Forces Armées Libanaises in French, also known as the...
Chief Commander Michel Sleiman, the Governor of the Central Bank
Banque du Liban
Banque du Liban is the central bank of Lebanon. It was established on August 1, 1963 and became fully operational on April 1, 1964. It is currently headed by Riad Salameh, who was named the Middle East's best central bank governor by Euromoney in 2005....
Riad Salame and the former FA Minister Jean Obeid were credited as possible "consensual" candidates. Sleiman turned out to be the eventual consensus candidate, but his election required constitutional amendments allowing senior state officials to become president.
The term of the ex-president Émile Lahoud
Émile Lahoud
General Émile Jamil Lahoud is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite_Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shia...
was extended for three years in 2004, allegedly under pressure from the Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n government. Syria withdrew its troops from Lebanon in April 2005, after the assassination of former prime minister Rafik Hariri
Rafik Hariri
Rafic Baha El Deen Al-Hariri , was a business tycoon and the Prime Minister of Lebanon from 1992 to 1998 and again from 2000 until his resignation, 20 October 2004.He headed five cabinets during his tenure...
and the subsequent mass demonstrations known as Cedar Revolution
Cedar Revolution
The Cedar Revolution or Independence Intifada was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon triggered by the assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on February 14, 2005.The primary goals of the original activists were the...
. The general election in Spring 2005 resulted in a majority of 72 seats out of 128 for the anti-Syrian March 14 Alliance
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
.
Consensus emerges
On 29 November 2007, opposition leader Michel AounMichel Aoun
Michel Naim Aoun is a former Lebanese Army Commander and he is one of the allies of Hezbollah. From 22 September 1988 to 13 October 1990, he has served as Prime Minister of the legal one of two rival governments that contended for power. He declared "The Liberation War" against the Syrian...
announced that he was in favour of Michel Sleiman becoming the next president of Lebanon. A constitutional amendment will have to be passed with a two-thirds majority in Lebanon's parliament to allow military commanders to move directly into the presidential office, but it seems certain that the majority will be achieved with both Aoun and the 14 March Alliance in favour. On 3 December, the March 14 Alliance announced it would draft a constitutional amendment to allow Sleiman to become president.
Sleiman, however, threatened to withdraw from the presidential race if the parties were not able to come to agreement.
A compromise deal was finally reached on 21 May 2008 (dealing with the issues of a new electoral law, a unity government and Hezbollah's disarmament), leading to Sleiman's election on 25 May 2008 as planned. Out of the 127 votes, Sleiman received 118, while three members of parliament voted for others and six abstained.