NaharNet, Lebanon
June 6 2009
Major facts about Lebanon’s Parliament
Key facts about parliament, voting and the complex power-sharing
system in Lebanon, which holds a general election on Sunday.
PARLIAMENT:
– Lebanon has a 128-seat unicameral parliament, where seats are
equally divided between Christians and Muslims.
– MPs are elected by simple majority to a four-year mandate.
– Of the 64 seats allocated for Muslims, 27 go to Sunnis, 27 to
Shiites, eight to the Druze sect and two to the Alawite sect.
– Of the 64 seats for Christians, 34 go to the Maronites, 14 to the
Greek Orthodox, eight to the Greek Catholics, five to the Armenian
Orthodox, one to the Armenian Catholics, one to Evangelicals and one
to minority sects.
– The speaker of parliament is always a Shiite.
CANDIDATES:
– 587 candidates registered to stand in the race for parliament.
– Candidates must be 25 years or older.
ELECTORAL DISTRICTS:
– The country of around four million is divided into 26 electoral
districts.
VOTER ELIGIBILITY:
– 3.2 million Lebanese are eligible to vote.
– Voters must be 21 and over.
– Serving members of the military are not allowed to vote.
VOTING PROCEDURE:
– Voting starts at 7:00 am (0400 GMT) and closes at 7:00 pm (1600
GMT).
– There are 5,200 polling stations.
– After casting their ballot, voters must dip their thumb in indelible
ink as proof they voted and to avoid electoral fraud.
MPs:
– Members of parliament earn a monthly salary of between 10-11 million
pounds (7,000 dollars, 4,500 euros).(AFP)