Lebanon: National Assembly, 6 May 2018

At stake in this election:

• 128 seats in the National Assembly (Majlis Alnuwab)

Election Results Note:

• Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement's coalition won 68 seats, and the Future Movement - Lebanese Forces coaltion won 42.

Description of government structure:

• Chief of State: President Michel AOUN
• Head of Government: Prime Minister Saad al-HARIRI
• Assembly: Lebanon has a unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Nuwab) with 128 seats.

Description of electoral system:

• The President is elected by the National Assembly to serve a 6-year term.
• The Prime Minister is appointed by the president with the approval of the parliament.
• In the National Assembly (Majlis al-Nuwab) 128 members are elected by plurality vote in multi-member constituencies to serve 4-year terms. The electoral system is multiple non-transferable vote (aka block vote) with confessional quotas. There is no standard ballot, and this has important consequences for electoral behavior in Lebanon.

Election Note: 

• These will be the first national general elections in Lebanon since 2009. The Lebanese government has collapsed twice since then (in 2011 and in 2013) and the presidency was vacant from 2014-2016.

Main parties in the electoral race:

• Party: Progressive Socialist Party (PSP) / al-hizb al-taqadummi al-ishtiraki
  • Leader: Walid JUMBLATT
• Party: The Future Movement / Tayyar Al-Mustaqbal
  • Leader: Saad al-HARIRI
• Party: Free Patriotic Movement / Al-Tayyar Al-Watani Al-Hurr
  • Leader: Gebran BASSIL
• Party: Amal Movement / Ḥarakat Amal
  • Leader: Nabih BERRI
• Party: Hezbollah
  • Leader: Sayyed Hassan NASRALLAH
• Party: Kateab
  • Leader: Sami GEMAYEL
• Party: The Lebanese Forces / al-Quwwāt al-Libnānīyah
  • Leader: Samir GEAGEA
• Party: Democratic Renewal Movement / Tajaddod
  • Leader: Farouk JABER
• Party: Independent
  • Leader: N/A

Last Parliamentary election:

• The last parliamentary elections were held 7 June 2009.

Population and number of registered voters:

• Population: 6,229,794 (July 2017 est.)
• Registered Voters: 2,748,674 (May 2005)

Gender Data:

·         Female Population: 3,113,352 (2016)

·         Is Lebanon a signatory to CEDAW: No

·         Has Lebanon ratified CEDAW: Yes, accession (16 April 1997)

·         Gender Quota: No

·         Female candidates in this election: 

·         Number of Female Parliamentarians: 

·         Human Development Index Position: 76

·         Social Institutions and Gender Index (SIGI) Categorization: High

Disability Data:

·         Is Lebanon a signatory to CRPD: Yes (14 June 2007)

·         Has Lebanon ratified CRPD: No

·         Population with a disability: 598,029 (est.)