March 8 Alliance
March 8 Alliance تحالف 8 آذار | |
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Cabinet of Lebanon | 16 / 24 |
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The March 8 Alliance (
History
The name dates back to 8 March 2005 when different parties called for a mass demonstration in downtown Beirut in response to the Cedar Revolution.[4] The demonstration thanked Syria for helping stop the Lebanese Civil War and the aid in stabilising Lebanon and supporting the Lebanese resistance to the Israeli occupation.[5] Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun eventually joined the rival March 8 Alliance, becoming one of its principal coalition partners.
Inclusion of Free Patriotic Movement
The
Ruling Alliance (2011–2013)
The
The government led by March 8 Alliance survived 22 months until Mikati's resignation on 23 March 2013.[10]
2016 presidential elections
After a presidential vacuum that lasted from 23 April 2014 until 31 October 2016, the Parliament was able to elect MP and former General Michel Aoun, who in turn nominated March 14 member Saad Hariri as Prime Minister.
2018 legislative elections
The alliance emerged victorious as they gathered 76 seats out of 128 (60%), in the first legislative elections since 2009.
2019 cabinet
The Alliance had 18 out of 30 ministers (60%) in the
| Name | Party | Portfolio (Ministry) | Religion |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elias Bou Saab | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Defense | Greek Orthodox
|
| Gebran Bassil | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Exterior and Expatriates | Maronite
|
| Saleh Gharib | Lebanese Democratic Party | State Minister for Refugees Affairs | Druze |
| Ghassan Atallah | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Displaced | Greek Catholic
|
| Nada Boustani | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Energy and Water | Maronite
|
| Avedis Guidanian | Tashnag
|
Minister of Tourism | Armenian Orthodox
|
| Hassan Mrad | Union Party | State Minister for Foreign Trade | Sunni
|
| Albert Serhan | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Justice | Greek Orthodox
|
| Salim Jreissati | Free Patriotic Movement | State Minister for Presidential Affairs | Greek Catholic
|
| Mansour Bteich | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Economy and Trade | Maronite
|
| Fadi Jreissati | Free Patriotic Movement | Minister of Environment | Greek Catholic
|
| Youssef Finianos | Marada Movement | Minister of Public Works and Transport | Maronite
|
| Ali Hassan Khalil | Amal Movement | Minister of Finance | Shia
|
| Muhammad Daoud | Amal Movement | Minister of Culture | Shia
|
| Hassan Lakkis | Amal Movement | Minister of Agriculture | Shia
|
| Jamil Jabak | Independent
|
Minister of Public Health | Shia
|
| Muhammad Fneish | Hezbollah | Minister of Youth and Sports | Shia
|
| Mahmoud Kmati | Hezbollah | State Minister for Parliamentary Affairs | Shia
|
September 2021 Cabinet
The Alliance has 16 out of 24 ministers (66%) in the current Lebanese Cabinet; it is equally represented in both parliament and cabinet.
2022 legislative elections
The alliance gathered 61 seats out of 128 (47%) and lost their parliamentary majority but still won the Parliament speaker election.[11]
The 2022 Strong Lebanon bloc was formed by FPM (17), Tashnaq (3) and Akkar MP Mohamad Yehya.[12]
The March 8 Alliance Today
Since 2020, the governance of Lebanon has been led by the March 8 alliance, with notable economic changes observed during this period. Lebanon's GDP experienced a significant decline, dropping from 51.8 billion in 2019 to 23.13 billion in 2023.[13]
Constituent parties
It currently holds 61 of 128 seats in the parliament after the 2022 elections and consists of:[14][15]
| Party | Arabic name | Ideology | Parliament of Lebanon | Government |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Free Patriotic Movement | التيار الوطني الحر | Civic nationalism Lebanese nationalism |
17 / 128
|
government |
| Amal Movement | حركة أمل | Conservatism Populism |
15 / 128
|
government |
| Hezbollah | حزب الله | Shia Islamism Anti-Zionism |
15 / 128
|
government |
| Armenian Revolutionary Federation | الإتحاد الثوري الأرمني - الطاشناق | Armenian nationalism Democratic socialism |
3 / 128
|
government |
| Marada Movement | تيار المردة | Lebanese nationalism Christian democracy |
2 / 128
|
government |
| Islamic Charitable Projects Association | جمعية المشاريع الخيرية الإسلامية | Religious pluralism
Anti- Salafism
|
2 / 128
|
not in government |
| Popular Nasserist Organization | التنظيم الشعبي الناصري | Arab Nationalism
|
1 / 128
|
not in government |
| Union Party | حزب الإتحاد | Nasserism | 1 / 128
|
not in government |
| Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party | حزب البعث العربي الاشتراكي في لبنان | Ba'athism | 1 / 128
|
not in government |
| Dignity Movement | حزب التحرر العربي | Arab nationalism Anti-Zionism |
1 / 128
|
not in government |
| Syrian Social Nationalist Party | الحزب السوري القومي الاجتماعي | Social nationalism
|
0 / 128
|
government |
| Lebanese Democratic Party | الحزب الديمقراطي اللبناني | Druze politics
|
0 / 128
|
not in government |
| Arab Democratic Party | االحزب العربي الديمقراطي | Arab nationalism Ba'athism |
0 / 128
|
not in government |
| Toiler's League | رابطة الشغيلة | Pan-Arabism Marxism–Leninism |
0 / 128
|
not in government |
| People's Movement | حركة الشعب | Arab Nationalism
|
0 / 128
|
not in government |
| Arab Unification Party | حزب التوحيد العربي | Arab Nationalism
|
0 / 128
|
not in government |
| Al-Mourabitoun | حركة الناصريين المستقلين-المرابطون | 0 / 128
|
not in government | |
| Solidarity Party | حزب التضامن | Liberalism | 0 / 128
|
not in government |
| Nasserist Unionists Movement | حركة الوحدويين الناصريين | Nasserism | 0 / 128
|
not in government |
References
- ^ Daoud, David (January 12, 2017). "Hezbollah's Latest Conquest: Lebanon's Cabinet". Newsweek.
- ^ March 8 finished, Aoun out in the cold Archived November 16, 2017, at the Wayback Machine The Daily Star 10 July 2013
- ^ Cornet, Wassim (May 17, 2022). "Lebanon's Hezbollah, allies lose parliament majority in elections". France 24. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
- ^ "Hezbollah rallies Lebanese to support Syria". CNN. March 9, 2005. Retrieved April 28, 2010.
- ^ Fattah, Hassan M. (March 8, 2005). "Hezbollah Leads Huge Pro-Syrian Protest in Central Beirut". The New York Times.
- ^ "Lebanon.com Newswire - Local News August 7 2001". www.lebanon.com. Retrieved July 8, 2021.
- ^ "Lebanese Christians shocked over Shia politics but this could be just the beginning | Ali al-Amin". AW. Retrieved October 21, 2021.
- ^ Rudy Jaafar and Maria J. Stephan, "Lebanon's Independence Intifada: How an Unarmed Insurrection Expelled Syrian Forces", in Maria J. Stephan (ed.), Civilian Jihad: Nonviolent Struggle, Democratization, and Governance in the Middle East, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2009, pp. 169-85.
- ISBN 978-0-19-518111-1. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
- ^ El Basha, Thomas (March 22, 2013). "Lebanese PM announces resignation of his government". The Daily Star. Archived from the original on November 12, 2020. Retrieved March 22, 2013.
- ^ "Lebanon election: Hezbollah and allies loose parliamentary majority". BBC News. May 17, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- ^ "تكتل لبنان القوي ٢١ نائبا".
- ^ "Lebanon GDP 1988-2024". macrotrends.net.
- ^ Bou Khzam, Ruba. "Lebanon elections results 2022". L'Orient - Today. 961. Retrieved May 17, 2022.
- ^ Keuchkerian, Karine (May 17, 2022). "Here Are The Full & Final Results Of Lebanon's Elections 2022". 961. 961News. Retrieved May 17, 2022.