Politics
Cultural Heritage vs. Concrete
Buildings and archaeological
sites Zoning resolutions
(1980-2016)
Concrete has taken over Lebanon. Towering buildings and random construction are eliminating green areas and destroying archaeological sites, traditional houses, and monuments that should be preserved and are listed as having...
The results of municipal elections lebanon 2016
The results of municipal elections lebanon 2016
Jezzine’s Parliamentary By-Election 2016
After a 21-month delay, the Lebanese government finally conducted the parliamentary by-election in Jezzine on May 22, 2016 to fill out the Maronite seat which had become vacant on June 27, 2014 following the death of MP Michel Helo. According to Article 41 of the Lebanese Constitution, the election...
Parliamentary Election Law Pluralist, proportional or a blend of both?
The Lebanese political and sectarian camps diverge on the optimal formula for the parliamentary election law and chances are they will not agree on any formula without external interference that helps get the electoral law off the ground. The primary division revolves around two critical points:
Political inheritance-Absent entirely within the Shia’a community, dwindling within the Maronite and Sunni communities and omnipresent within the Druze
Political power in Lebanon is bequeathed from parents to sons to grandsons. According to paragraph C of the preamble to the Lebanese Constitution, “Lebanon is a parliamentary democratic republic”. In theory, this might be true. In practice though, Lebanon is closer to an eighteen-sect emirate...
Lebanon : Any reason for optimism?
For one to be optimistic or cynical in life and their perception of the world is something that boils down to their temper, personality and upbringing. It may also be influenced by certain realties and circumstances or a certain state of affairs that drive people to either hold pessimistic views...
Lebanon’s Parliament : 48 Laws in 6 days during 2014 and 2 Laws only in the entire year 2013
In light of the scarcity of laws approved during the Lebanese legislature’s tenure, ongoing since June 2009, there have been frequent talks about the productivity of Parliament - or rather the lack thereof. In 2013, only two laws were approved: Law no. 245 dated April 12, 2013, which suspended...
Lebanon’s Parliament 2009-2013 : LBP 1.56 Billion Per Law
The mandate of the current Lebanese Parliament elected on June 9, 2009 comes to an end on June 20, 2013. Its term of office was marked by accomplishments that were numerous and included the approval of 169 laws. However, a close comparison between the legislative achievements and the respective...
Ministerial Portfolios : Rotation or Manipulation?
Soon after the resignation of Mikati’s government and the invitation to Tamam Salam to form a new Cabinet, several obstacles emerged to hinder the formation of an all-embracing government. Ten months later, however, a spirit of consensus emerged. With some of the barriers surmounted and others...
