Lebanon Government - 1986

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

NOTE: Between early 1975 and late 1976 Lebanon was torn by civil war between its Christians—then aided by Sy rian troops— and its Muslims and their Palestinian allies. The cease-fire established in October 1976 between the domestic political groups generally held for about six years, despite occasional fighting. Syrian troops constituted as the Arab Deterrent Force by the Arab League have remained in Lebanon. Syria’s move toward supporting the Lebanese Muslims and the Palestinians and Israel’s growing support for Lebanese Christians brought the two sides into rough equilibrium, but no progress was made toward national reconciliation or political reforms—the original cause of the war.

Continuing Israeli concern about the Palestinian presence in Lebanon led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982 Israeli forces occupied all of the southern portion of the country and mounted a summer-long seige of Beirut, which resulted in the evacua tion of the PLO from Beirut in September under the supervision of a multinational force made up of US, French, and Italian troops.

Within days of the departure of the multinational force (MNF), Lebanon’s newly elected president, Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated In the wake of his death, Christian militiamen massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees in two Beirut camps. This prompted the return of the MNF to ease the security burden on Lebanon’s weak army and security forces. In late March 1984 the last MNF units withdrew.

Lebanon continues to be partially occupied by Syrian troops. Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces from the south in 1985, retaining a 10-km deep security zone just north of the 1949 Armistice Line Israel continues to arm and train the Army of South Lebanon tASL), which opposes the return of Palestinian

Literacy; 75%

ghters to South Lebanon. The ASL has increasingly been involved in confronting Shi'a as well as leftist militias sponsored by Syria.

Syria maintains troops in the Riyaq area of the Bekaa, while Special Forces units are stationed in the Matn, and in the Tripoli areas, north and northeast In late 1985 the Syrian regime successfully negotiated a tripartite agreement among the three major rival Christian, Druze, and Shi'a militias, but implementation remains a distant possibility. The Christian and Muslim communities are deeply split from within over specific points in the agreement.

Israel and Lebanon signed a withdrawal agreement on 17 May 1983. The agreement was never implemented and was subsequently voided. A partial Israeli withdrawal and government attempts to extend authority have led to renewed factional fighting. The following description is based on the present constitutional and customary practices of the Lebanese system.

Official name: Republic of Lebanon

Type-republic

Capital: Beirut

Political subdivisions: 4 provinces

Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, and civil law system; constitution mandated in 1926; no judicial review of legislative acts; legal education at Lebanese University; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November

Branches: power lies with the President, who is elected by unicameral legislature (National Assembly); Cabinet appointed by President, approved by legislature; independent secular courts on French pattern; religious courts for matters of marriage, divorce, inheritance, etc.; by custom, the President is a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the president of legislature is a Shi'a Muslim; each of

nine religious communities are represented in the legislature in proportion to their national numerical strength

Got ernment leader: Amine Pierre GEMAYEL, President (since September 1982); Rashid K ARAMI, Prime Minister (since May 1984)

Suffrage: compulsory for all males over 21; authorized for women over 21 with elementary education

Elections: National Assembly held every four years or within three months of dissolution of Chamber; security conditions have prevented parliamentary elections since April 1972

Political parties and leaders, political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations; most parties have well-armed militias, which are still involved in occasional clashes

Communists: the Lebanese Communist Party was legalized in 1970; members and sympathizers estimated at 2,000-3,000

Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, IWC—International Wheat Council, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO

NOTE: The information regarding Lebanon on this page is re-published from the 1986 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Lebanon 1986 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Lebanon 1986 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.