National Pact

The National Pact (Arabic: الميثاق الوطني, romanized: al Mithaq al Watani) is an unwritten agreement that laid the foundation of Lebanon as a multiconfessional state following negotiations between the Shia, Sunni, and Maronite leaderships. Erected in the summer of 1943, the National Pact was formed by the then-president Bechara El Khoury and the prime minister Riad Al Solh. Mainly centered around the interests of political elites, the Maronite elite served as a voice for the Christian population of Lebanon while the Sunni elite represented the voice of the Muslim population. The pact also established Lebanon's independence from France.

Key points of the agreement stipulate that:

• Lebanese Maronite Christians do not seek Western intervention, and accept that Lebanon had Arab features.
• Lebanese 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 (and Druze) in the Lebanese Parliament.

A Christian majority of 51% in the 1932 census 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. The Taif Agreement of 1989 changed the ratio of Parliament to 1:1 and reduced the power of the Maronite president; it also provided that eventually, the Parliament would become bicameral, with a Senate representing religious communities and a Chamber of Deputies chosen on a non-sectarian basis. It is commonly believed that once this Bicameral Parliament is established, the Senate would have a 1:1 Christian-to-Muslim ratio similarly to the current Parliament and the President of the Senate would be required to be a Druze, in accordance with the dictates of the National Pact.