National News, Analyses & Opinions
Multiculturalism in Lebanon - The Sectarian Cleavage at the center of the Lebanese Political Distress
Opinion policy analysis by Anthony Ahrend, Featured Writer
On September 16th, 2012, Pope Benedikt XVI praised Lebanon upon his visit there for its 18 different sects that all live together within the same territory. Yet, do they really? Little did he know, that is not the case. With that being said, what are some of the consequences of this sectarian break- up? It is important to take a look at the political participation in Lebanon and explain why the “Thawra” was unsuccessful.
Gerrymandering Electoral Districts - A Brief History of Redistricting in Lebanon, and its influential Role in the Electoral Process
Opinion Policy Analysis by Nicole Nicolas, Visiting Contributor
Like most other nations of the modern world, Lebanon has played host to countless, and very elaborate, forms of gerrymandering. Lebanon’s electoral districts have been drawn and redrawn several times since the country’s inception. In a sectarian power sharing system dating back to 1943, Lebanon’s sectarian leaders have always agreed to draw district lines together, each side going for a bigger piece of the pie. With a few seasonal disputes here and there, an arrangement is always reached, “No winners and no losers”, according to the late Prime Minister Saeb Salam - a principle that defines Lebanon’s political structure to this very day. The result of such agreements means that election results are almost always determined before elections even take place.
Women’s Political Exclusion in Lebanon: The Legacy of Colonial Pasts, Religious Institutions, and Sectarianism
Opinion Analysis by Roa Daher, Featured Writer
In the span of a few decades, Lebanon went from being one of the first Arab countries to grant women suffrage in 1952 to now having one of the lowest rates of women’s political participation in the MENA region. Even though more than 100 women candidates registered in the 2018 parliamentary elections, which is a ten-fold increase from just a decade earlier and the largest number in Lebanese history, women only won 6 out of 128 seats in the parliament. 49.69% of the Lebanese population is composed of women, and yet these women only hold 4.69% of the seats in parliament. Beyond the obvious issue of a lack of representation in politics, women face many obstacles that may prevent them from seeking a seat in the parliament, never mind actually winning the seat against a male candidate.