National Pact

The National Pact (Arabic: الميثاق الوطني‎) is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multiconfessional state, having shaped the country to this day. Following negotiations between the Shia, Sunni, and Maronite leaderships. This agreement was made between the president at the time, Bishara al-Khuri and the prime minister Raid al-Sulh. Mainly, centered around the interests of political elite, the Maronite elite served as a voice for the Christian population of Lebanon while the Sunni elite represented the voice of the Muslim population.[1] The National Pact was born in the summer of 1943, allowing Lebanon to be independent.

This article is about the 1943 agreement in Lebanon. For the National Pact passed by the last Ottoman Parliament, see Misak-ı Millî.

Key points of the agreement stipulate that:

  • Maronite Christians not seek foreign intervention, and accept an Arab-affiliated Lebanon, instead of a Western one
  • Muslims abandon their aspirations to unite with Syria.
  • The President of the Republic and the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces always be Maronite Catholic.
  • The Prime Minister of the Republic always be a Sunni Muslim.
  • The Speaker of the Parliament always be a Shia Muslim.
  • The Deputy Speaker of the Parliament and the Deputy Prime Minister always be Greek Orthodox Christian.
  • The Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces always be a Druze.
  • There always be a ratio of 6:5 in favour of Christians to Muslims in the Lebanese Parliament.[2]
Lebanese Muslims[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
Year Percent
1932
 
 49%
1985
 
 75%
2010
 
 59%
2012
 
 59.5%
2017
 
 63%
Lebanese Christians[10][4][5][6][7][8]
Year Percent
1932
 
 51%
1985
 
 25%
2010
 
 41%
2012
 
 40.5%
2017
 
 36.2%

A Christian majority of 51% in the 1932 census – widely considered manipulated in their favor[11] – was the underpinning of a government structure that gave the Christians control of the presidency, command of the armed forces, and a parliamentary majority. However, following a wider trend, the generally poorer Muslim population has increased faster than the richer Christians. Additionally, the Christians were emigrating in large numbers, further eroding their only marginal population edge, and it soon became clear that Christians wielded a disproportionate amount of power. As years passed without a new census, dissatisfaction with the government structure and sectarian rifts increased, eventually sparking the Lebanese Civil War.[12] The Taif Agreement of 1989 changed the ratio of Parliament to 1:1 and reduced the power of the Maronite president.

See also

References
Specific
  1. Krayem, Hassan. "The Lebanese Civil War and the Taif Agreement". American University of Beirut. American University of Beirut. Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  2. Binder 1966: 276
  3. "Contemporary distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups". Library of Congress. 1988. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  4. "Contemporary distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups". theodora.com. 1988. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  5. Tom Najem (July 1998). "The Collapse and Reconstruction of Lebanon" (PDF). University of Durham Centre for Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. ISSN 1357-7522. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 March 2012. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  6. "Lebanon: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - International Religious Freedom Report 2010". U.S. Department of State. 17 November 2010. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  7. "Lebanon: Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor - 2012 Report on International Religious Freedom". U.S. Department of State. 20 May 2013. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  8. "The World Factbook". Cia.gov. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  9. "The Lebanese Demographic Reality- 2013" (PDF). Lebanese Information Center.
  10. "Contemporary distribution of Lebanon's main religious groups". Library of Congress. 1988. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
  11. Jaulin 2014, p. 251.
  12. Randal 1983: 50
  13. "French Mandate for Syria and the Lebanon". The American Journal of International Law. 17 (2): 177–182. July 1923. doi:10.2307/2212963. JSTOR 2212963. S2CID 163370230.
  14. el-Khazen, Farid (1991). The Communal Pact of National Identities: The Making and Politics of the 1943 National Pact. Oxford, UK: The Centre for Lebanese Studies. ISBN 1-870552-20-2.
  15. Maktabi, Rania (November 1999). "The Lebanese Census of 1932 Revisited. Who are the Lebanese?". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 26 (2): 219–241. doi:10.1080/13530199908705684. hdl:10852/34924.
  16. Krayem, Hassan. "The Lebanese Civil War and the Taif Agreement". American University of Beirut. American University of Beirut. Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  17. Chamie, Joseph (Winter 1976–1977). "The Lebanese Civil War: An Investigation Into the Causes". World Affairs. 139 (3): 171–188. JSTOR 20671682.CS1 maint: date format (link)
  18. el-Khazen, Farid (1991). The Communal Pact of National Identities: The Making and Politics of the 1943 National Pact. Oxford, UK: The Centre for Lebanese Studies. ISBN 1-870552-20-2.
  19. Chamie, Joseph (Winter 1976–1977). "The Lebanese Civil War: An Investigation Into the Causes". World Affairs. 139 (3): 171–188. JSTOR 20671682.CS1 maint: date format (link)
  20. Chamie, Joseph (Winter 1976–1977). "The Lebanese Civil War: An Investigation Into the Causes". World Affairs. 139 (3): 171–188. JSTOR 20671682.CS1 maint: date format (link)
  21. Krayem, Hassan. "The Lebanese Civil War and the Taif Agreement". American University of Beirut. American University of Beirut. Archived from the original on 2018-10-15. Retrieved 2019-11-07.
  22. Maktabi, Rania (November 1999). "The Lebanese Census of 1932 Revisited. Who are the Lebanese?". British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies. 26 (2): 219–241. doi:10.1080/13530199908705684. hdl:10852/34924.
  23. Chamie, Joseph (Winter 1976–1977). "The Lebanese Civil War: An Investigation Into the Causes". World Affairs. 139 (3): 171–188. JSTOR 20671682.CS1 maint: date format (link)
  24. Chamie, Joseph (Winter 1976–1977). "The Lebanese Civil War: An Investigation Into the Causes". World Affairs. 139 (3): 171–188. JSTOR 20671682.CS1 maint: date format (link)
General
  • Ayubi, Nazih N., "Over-stating the Arab State", London: I.B. Tauris, 1995, pp 190–191.
  • Binder, Leonard. "Politics in Lebanon". New York: John Wiley & Sons, Inc, 1966.
  • Jaulin, Thibaut (2014). "Citizenship, Migration, and Confessional Democracy in Lebanon". Middle East Law and Governance. 6 (3): 250–271. doi:10.1163/18763375-00603009. S2CID 143417552.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
  • Randal, Jonathan. "Going All the Way: Christian Warlords, Israeli Adventurers, and the War in Lebanon". New York: The Viking Press, 1983.


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