Minorities (Lebanon)

{{Short description|Six recognized Christian sects in Lebanon}} {{update|date=March 2020}} [[File:Minorities districts Lebanon.png|thumb|Districts where 4–5% of the registered voters belong to Minorities.]]In [[Lebanon|Lebanese]] politics, '''Minorities''' ({{langx|ar|أقليات}} ''’Aqaliyāt'') is a term that includes six different Christian sects; [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac Orthodox]], [[Syriac Catholic Church|Syriac Catholics]], [[Assyrian Church of the East]], [[Chaldean Catholic Church|Chaldean Catholics]], [[Latin Church|Latin Catholic]]s and [[Coptic Orthodox Church|Coptic Orthodox]].<ref name=dl>''Daily Star''. ''[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Feb-15/206550-minority-sects-demand-greater-representation-in-parliament.ashx Minority sects demand greater representation in Parliament]''</ref><ref name=ai>Assyrian International News Agency. ''[http://www.aina.org/news/20130224232544.htm Syriac Catholic Patriarch Demands Seat in Lebanese Parliament]''</ref> 1 of the 128 seats in the [[Parliament of Lebanon|national parliament]] is allocated to Minorities (all seats in the Lebanese parliament are allocated to different confessional groups).<ref name=dl/> The Minorities' seat is elected from Beirut III electoral district, an electoral district with a large [[Lebanese people (Sunni Muslims)|Sunni Muslim]] majority (65.25% of the registered voters).<ref name=dl/><ref name="a"/>

According to data released by the [[Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (Lebanon)|Ministry of Interior and Municipalities]] in 2011 (not an official census as such), there were 42,715 registered Minorities voters (1.28% of all registered voters in the country). Electoral districts with significant Minorities populations were Beirut I 10,063 voters (11.0% of the registered voters in the electoral district, overwhelmingly Syriac Catholics<ref>According to the newspaper ''Balad'' there were 9,955 Syriac Catholic registered voters in Beirut I in 2009 compared to 177 registered voters belonging to the five other Minorities sects. Quoted in Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 486</ref>), Beirut III 8,181 voters (3.18%), Metn 7,802 voters (4.56%), Zahle 7,225 voters (4.51%) and [[Beirut II]] 3,529 voters (3.44%).<ref name="a"/> In the capital Beirut (all three districts combined) Minorities represented 4.83% of the registered voters.<ref name="a">IFES. ''[http://www.ifes.org/Content/Publications/White-Papers/2011/Electoral-Districts-in-Lebanon.aspx Electoral Districts in Lebanon] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150407084421/http://ifes.org/Content/Publications/White-Papers/2011/Electoral-Districts-in-Lebanon.aspx |date=2015-04-07 }}''</ref>

==History==

===French period=== A Minorities seat has existed in Lebanese politics since the first elections in 1922.<ref name="Zamir2000">{{cite book|author=Meir Zamir|title=Lebanon's Quest: The Search for a National Identity, 1926–39|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5hgGZPn1I4YC&pg=PA274|date=3 June 2000|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-86064-553-2|page=274}}</ref><ref name="Müller2009">{{cite book|author=Hannelore Müller|title=Religionen im Nahen Osten: Irak, Jordanien, Syrien, Libanon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hP1ib39ZvykC&pg=PA239|year=2009|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|isbn=978-3-447-06077-6|page=239}}</ref> However, the sects included in the Minorities concept has varied over time. During the first elections there were no separate seats for Protestants and Armenians, so they were included in Minorities as well. A separate Armenian Orthodox seat was instituted in 1934 and separate [[Protestantism in Lebanon|Protestant]] and Armenian Catholic seats were created in 1951.<ref name="z37"/><ref name="z105"/>

In 1925 [[Michel Chiha]], a Latin Catholic banker and journalist, was elected from the Beirut Minorities seat in the Representative Council.<ref name="Zamir2000b">{{cite book|author=Meir Zamir|title=Lebanon's Quest: The Search for a National Identity, 1926–39|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5hgGZPn1I4YC&pg=PA37|date=3 June 2000|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-86064-553-2|page=37}}</ref><ref name="Khoury2004">{{cite book|author=Gérard D. Khoury|title=Sélim Takla 1895–1945: une contribution à l'indépendance du Liban|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=iluH1VqaI5UC&pg=RA1-PA20|year=2004|publisher=KARTHALA Editions|isbn=978-2-84586-549-5|page=20}}</ref><ref name="Harris1997">{{cite book|author=William W. Harris|title=Faces of Lebanon: Sects, Wars, and Global Extensions|url=https://archive.org/details/facesoflebanonse0000harr|url-access=registration|year=1997|publisher=Markus Wiener Publishers|isbn=978-1-55876-115-5|page=[https://archive.org/details/facesoflebanonse0000harr/page/132 132]}}</ref>

In 1929 [[Abdallah Ishak]], an Armenian Catholic, was elected from the Minorities seat.<ref name="z37">Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 37–39</ref>

In the 1934 elections the battle for the Beirut Minorities seat stood mainly between the pro-government candidate [[Ayoub Tabet]] and Abdallah Ishak, contesting on the list of [[Abdallah Yafi]].<ref name="z43">Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 43–49</ref> Ishak got more votes than Tabet in the first round, but lost to Tabet in the second round.<ref name="z43"/>

In the 1937 elections the Beirut Minorities seat was won by [[Chafic Nassif]].<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 54, 59</ref>

===From Independence to Civil War=== In the 1943 elections, the first to be held after independence from France, Ayoub Tabet (contesting on the list of [[Sami as-Solh]]) and [[Moussa de Freige]] (contesting on the list of Yafi) vyed for the Beirut Minorities seat. Tabet was elected with 5,740 votes against 5,561 for de Freige.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 64, 66, 74</ref> De Freige won the seat in the 1947 elections, standing as the pro-government candidate. The [[Kataeb Party]] general secretary [[Joseph Chader]] was the main opposition candidate for the seat.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 89, 96, 100</ref>

For the 1951 elections separate Protestant and Armenian Catholic seats were set up in Beirut. Thus candidates from these communities no longer contested the Minorities seat.<ref name="z105">Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 105</ref> Moussa de Freige, standing on the so-called List of Giants, was re-elected.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 106, 116</ref>

In the 1953 election, the Minorities seat was allocated to the [[Beirut V – Minet El Hosn electoral district]]. As the Armenian Catholics had lost their separate seat, they again contested this seat.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 120</ref> The Syriac Catholic Patriarch [[Ignatius Gabriel I Tappouni]] supported Edmond Rabbath. On the other hand, Joseph Chader enjoyed support from the Jewish voters, who were generally sympathetic to the Kataeb Party. Chader narrowly defeated Rabbath, having obtained 2,081 votes against 1,922 for Rabbath.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 129–130</ref>

For the 1957 election, Beirut was divided into two constituencies. The Minorities seat was allocated to the second constituency, which consisted of Mudawar, Bashoura, Zokak Blat, Ras Beirut, Ain Mraysé, Minet El Hosn and [[Port (Beirut)|Port]]. The Armenian Catholics regained their separate seat, which was elected from the same constituency.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 135</ref> Chafic Nassif won the Minorities seat with 14,471 votes. The main contender was [[Farid Jubran]] who got 10,923 votes.<ref>Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. pp. 142–143, 151</ref>

As per the 1960 Election Law, the Minorities seat was allocated to the [[Beirut II (1960)|Beirut II]] electoral district.<ref name="Ed.">{{cite book|author=Yitzhak Oron, Ed.|title=Middle East Record Volume 1, 1960|year=1960|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LooyExir7EC&pg=PA349|publisher=The Moshe Dayan Center|pages=349–351|id=GGKEY:3KXGTYPACX2}}</ref> At the time Minorities included Syrian Orthodox, Syrian Catholics, Latin Catholics, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Jews.<ref name="Colombe1968">{{cite book|author=M. Colombe|title=Orient|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gEIuAQAAIAAJ|year=1968|publisher=Orient|page=21}}</ref> As of 1960 Beirut II had 2,435 Minorities voters (5.65% of the voters in the electoral district).<ref name="Ed."/> Farid Jubran, a Latin Catholic belonging to the [[Progressive Socialist Party]], won the Minorities seat in the 1960, 1964, 1968 and 1972 elections.<ref name="e2">{{cite book|author=Yitzhak Oron, Ed.|title=Middle East Record Volume 1, 1960|url=https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_0LooyExir7EC|publisher=The Moshe Dayan Center|pages=[https://archive.org/details/bub_gb_0LooyExir7EC/page/n381 353]–354|id=GGKEY:3KXGTYPACX2}}</ref><ref name="HudsonBinder1985">{{cite book|author1=Michael C. Hudson|author2=Leonard Binder|author3=Harvard University. Center for International Affairs|title=The precarious republic: political modernization in Lebanon|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rbstAQAAIAAJ|date=May 1985|publisher=Westview Press|isbn=978-0-8133-0105-1|page=158}}</ref><ref name="p1">Zuwiyya, Jalal. ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=NZo3AAAAIAAJ&pg=PA17 The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968]''. Leiden: Brill, 1972. pp. 13, 17–20</ref><ref name="Ṣulḥ2004">{{cite book|author=Raghīd Ṣulḥ|title=Lebanon and Arabism, 1936–1945|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=49z7AFqIE2IC&pg=PA331|year=2004|publisher=I.B.Tauris|isbn=978-1-86064-051-3|page=331}}</ref>

===Post-war period=== In the 1992 and 1996 elections, Beirut was a single electoral district.<ref name="a"/> Per the 2000 Election Law, used for the 2000 and 2005 elections, the Minorities seat was allotted to Beirut's second district (Bashoura-Rmeil-Moseitebeh).<ref name="a"/><ref>Refworld. ''[http://www.refworld.org/docid/3c2b4e140.html UK Home Office Immigration and Nationality Directorate Country Assessment – Lebanon]''</ref><ref>''Daily Star''. ''[http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Lebanon-News/2000/Aug-29/27597-salam-warns-supporters-not-be-taken-in-by-doctored-lists.ashx Salam warns supporters not be taken in by ‘doctored’ lists]''</ref> In the 2008 election law, the Minorities seat was allocated to Beirut III, consisting of Zokak Blat, Ras Beirut, Ain Mraysé, Minet El Hosn, Mazraa and Moseitebeh.<ref name="a"/> Nabil de Freige was elected from the Minorities seat in 2000, 2005 and 2009.<ref>National News Agency. ''[http://www.nna-leb.gov.lb/en/show-news/21507/Biography-of-Administrative-Development-Minister-Nabil-De-Freij Biography of Administrative Development Minister Nabil De Freij]''</ref>

In the constituency with the biggest share of Minorities voters, Beirut I, it was estimated that 32.2% of the registered Syriac Catholics voters had cast their votes in the [[2009 Lebanese general election|2009 general election]]. 51.3% where estimated to have voted for the pro-government candidates and 46.9% for the opposition candidates.<ref name="z486">Messerlian, Zaven. ''Armenian Participation in the Lebanese Legislative Elections 1934–2009''. Beirut: Haigazian University Press, 2014. p. 486</ref>

As for the 2018 elections, Beirut will be divided into two districts. The Minorities seat will be allotted to Beirut's first district (Achrafiyeh-Rmeil-Saifi-Medawar). In 2018, Antoine Pano won the Minorities seat. He ran on the list of the FPM, Strong Lebanon bloc.

=== Electoral summary of the Minorities seat === {| class="wikitable" !Year !District !Sect ! colspan="2" |Party ! colspan="2" |Winning candidate |- |1925 | rowspan="8" |[[Beirut]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Michel Chiha]] | |- |[[1927 Lebanese general election|1927]] |Protestant | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Ayoub Tabet]] | |- |[[1929 Lebanese general election|1929]] |Armenian Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Abdallah Ishak]] |68 |- |[[1934 Lebanese general election|1934]] |Protestant | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Ayoub Tabet]] |7,521 |- |[[1937 Lebanese general election|1937]] |Syriac Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Kataeb Party}}" | | [[Kataeb Party]] |[[Chafic Nassif]] |22,554 |- |[[1943 Lebanese general election|1943]] |Protestant | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Ayoub Tabet]] |5,740 |- |[[1947 Lebanese general election|1947]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Moussa de Freige]] |15,752 |- |[[1951 Lebanese general election|1951]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Moussa de Freige]] |12,747 |- |[[1953 Lebanese general election|1953]] |[[Beirut V – Minet El Hosn electoral district|Beirut V]] |Armenian Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Kataeb Party}}" | | [[Kataeb Party]] |[[Joseph Chader]] |2,081 |- |[[1957 Lebanese general election|1957]] | rowspan="5" |[[Beirut II (1960)|Beirut II]] |Syriac Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|National Liberal Party (Lebanon)}}" | | [[National Liberal Party (Lebanon)|National Liberal Party]] |[[Chafic Nassif]] |14,471 |- |[[1960 Lebanese general election|1960]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Socialist Party}}" | | [[Progressive Socialist Party]] |[[Farid Jubran]] |7,671 |- |[[1964 Lebanese general election|1964]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Socialist Party}}" | |[[Progressive Socialist Party]] |[[Farid Jubran]] |4,331 |- |[[1968 Lebanese general election in Beirut II|1968]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Socialist Party}}" | |[[Progressive Socialist Party]] |[[Farid Jubran]] |8,049 |- |[[1972 Lebanese general election|1972]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Progressive Socialist Party}}" | |[[Progressive Socialist Party]] |[[Farid Jubran]] |9,333 |- |[[1992 Lebanese general election|1992]] | rowspan="2" |[[Beirut]] |Syriac Orthodox | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Asmar Asmar|Ibrahim Asmar]] |8,645 |- |[[1996 Lebanese general election|1996]] |Syriac Orthodox | bgcolor="{{party color|Indepdendent}}" | | [[Independent politician|Independent]] |[[Jamil Abdelmassih]]<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-12-21 |title=جميل عبد المسيح الشمّاس Obituary |url=https://www.khoolood.com/obituaries/67050/%D8%AC%D9%85%D9%8A%D9%84-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF-%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%85%D8%B3%D9%8A%D8%AD-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%85%D9%91%D8%A7%D8%B3 |access-date=2025-09-08 |website=Khoolood}}</ref> |39,636 |- |[[2000 Lebanese general election|2000]] | rowspan="2" |[[Beirut II (1960)|Beirut II]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Future Movement}}" | | [[Future Movement]] |[[Nabil de Freige|Nabil De Freige]] |26,351 |- |[[2005 Lebanese general election|2005]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Future Movement}}" | | [[Future Movement]] |[[Nabil de Freige|Nabil De Freige]] |27,364 |- |[[2009 Lebanese general election|2009]] |[[Beirut III (2009)|Beirut III]] |Latin Catholic | bgcolor="{{party color|Future Movement}}" | | [[Future Movement]] |[[Nabil de Freige|Nabil De Freige]] | |- |[[2018 Lebanese general election in Beirut I|2018]] | rowspan="2" |[[Beirut I]] |Syriac Orthodox | bgcolor="{{party color|Free Patriotic Movement}}" | | [[Free Patriotic Movement]] |[[Antoine Pano]] |539 |- |[[2022 Lebanese general election in Beirut I|2022]] |Syriac Catholic | bgcolor="#f50025" | | [[ReLebanon]] |[[Cynthia Zarazir]] |486 |}

==References== {{reflist}}{{Electoral districts of Lebanon}} [[Category:Elections in Lebanon]] [[Category:Political terminology in Lebanon]] [[Category:Lebanese Christians]]