Electoral system for national legislature

Nohlen et al. Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook. 2001

The 1992 elections was the first elections conducted following the end of the Civil War. “Elections are based on the confessional system, which allocates to each sect a certain number of seats in multi member constituencies. In every constituency, the number of seats for each sect is fixed before the elections. Every elector has as many votes as seats are allocated to the entire constituency. A candidate is considered elected if he/she receives the largest number of votes in his/her constituency among the candidates running for the seat of the same sect.

Some constituencies are divided into electoral subunits (qada). In this case, candidates have to declare before the elections in which subunit they want to stand. In the constituencies composed of several subunits, votes are counted at the level of the constituency. The decisive arithmetic contest, however, takes place between the candidates who have registered for the same sect in the same sub-unit.”

Lebanon’s electoral system came into being with the vision of demolishing sectarianism after the Civil War. The system was designed to minimize inter-sectarian competition and maximize cross-confessional cooperation: candidates must seek support from outside of their own faith in order to be elected. In practice, the system has led to charges of gerrymandering where constituency boundaries drawn has led to Christian Members being forced to represent Muslim interests. 

Sources Used: Nohlen et al. Elections in Asia and the Pacific: A Data Handbook. 2001