Lebanese parliament based on sectarian split
By The Associated Press
06/06/2009
A new parliament to be elected in Lebanon on Sunday will be apportioned
among Christian and Muslim sects under a power-sharing formula that
also divvies up Lebanon’s main leadership positions by religion.
Under the 1989 agreement to end a 15-year civil war, the 128-seat
parliament is divided equally between Christians and Muslims, and
subdivided among the largest of the country’s recognized 18 religious
sects.
On the Christian side, Maronite Catholics get 34 seats, Greek Orthodox
14, Greek Catholics eight, Armenian Orthodox five, Armenian Catholics
one, Protestants one and another one for "minorities." On the Muslim
side, Sunnis and Shiites each get 27 seats, the Druse sect eight and
the Alawite sect two.
Under an unwritten but unbending tradition since Lebanon won
independence in 1943, the president must be a Maronite Catholic, the
prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the