National Pact

The National Pact is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon and has shaped the country to this day. Following negotiations between the Shi'ite, Sunni, and Maronite leaderships, the National Pact was born in the summer of 1943 allowing Lebanon to be independent. Among the following key points of the agreement are:

• the Maronites to not seek foreign intervention and accept Lebanon as an "Arab" country, instead of a "Western" one.
• the Muslims (Shi'ites and Sunnis) to abandon their aspirations to unite with Syria and become part of Lebanon.
• the President to always be a Maronite.
• the Prime Minister to always be a Sunni.
• the Speaker of the House to always be a Shi'ite.
• Parliament members to be in a ratio of 6:5 in favour of Maronites to Muslims.

The last point was to be a contentious issue, especially in the Lebanese Civil War, where demographic changes in the 1970's resulted in Maronites making up approximately one-third of the population (compared to 51% in the 1932 census) and the other two-thirds made up of mostly Muslims. As well, Shi'ites as part of this demographic change turned into the largest religious community. This resulted in Maronites having a disproportionate share of the government, which was the main issue in the Lebanese Civil War.

The Taif Agreement slightly changed the ratios, but some argue that they do not reflect current demographics.

External Links

• A short but detailed description of the National Pact