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.^[1] 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 and the Arab World.
• 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.^[2]

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[10] 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^[11] and the President of the Senate would be required to be a Druze,^[12] in accordance with the dictates of the National Pact.