# 2009 Lebanese general election

Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on 7 June 2009 to elect all 128 members of the Parliament of Lebanon. Although general elections are held every four years, this parliament due to various reasons stayed in power until the 2018 general election.

## Background

The 2009 election was the first general election in Lebanon to be done in one day. Usually, the election used to be divided into four rounds across four weeks, with each round being held in different regions across Lebanon. Before the election, the voting age was to be lowered from 21 to 18 years, but as this requires a constitutional amendment, it did not happen before the election.

## Allocation of seats

Following a compromise reached in the Doha Agreement in May 2008 between the government and opposition, a new electoral law was put in place, as shown in the table below. It was passed on 29 September 2008.
| Seat allocation according to The Doha Agreement | Seat allocation according to The Doha Agreement | Seats | Maronite | Shia | Sunni | Greek Orthodox | Druze | Armenian Orthodox | Greek Catholic | Alawite | Evangelical | Minorities | 14 March | 8 March |
| Beirut 19 | Beirut 1 | 5 | 1 | - | - | 1 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 1 | 5 | 0 |
| Beirut 19 | Beirut 2 | 4 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 2 | 2 |
| Beirut 19 | Beirut 3 | 10 | - | 1 | 5 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | 1 | 10 | 0 |
| Bekaa 23 | Baalbek +Hermel | 10 | 1 | 6 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 0 | 10 |
| Bekaa 23 | Zahleh | 7 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | 7 | 0 |
| Bekaa 23 | Rashaya +West Bekaa | 6 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 6 | 0 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Jbeil | 3 | 2 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Kisrawan | 5 | 5 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 5 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | North Metn | 8 | 4 | - | - | 2 | - | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | 2 | 6 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Baabda | 6 | 3 | 2 | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 6 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Aley | 5 | 2 | - | - | 1 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 4 | 1 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Chouf | 8 | 3 | - | 2 | - | 2 | - | 1 | - | - | - | 8 | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Akkar | 7 | 1 | - | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 7 | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Dinniyeh +Minieh | 3 | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Bsharreh | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Tripoli | 8 | 1 | - | 5 | 1 | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | 8 | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Zgharta | 3 | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Koura | 3 | - | - | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 3 | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Batroun | 2 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Saida | 2 | - | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 2 | 0 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Tyre | 4 | - | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 4 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Zahrani | 3 | - | 2 | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Hasbaya +Marjeyoun | 5 | - | 2 | 1 | 1 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 5 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Nabatiyeh | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Bint Jbeil | 3 | - | 3 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Jezzine | 3 | 2 | - | - | - | - | - | 1 | - | - | - | 0 | 3 |
| Total 128 | Total 128 | 128 | 34 | 27 | 27 | 14 | 8 | 5 | 8 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 71 | 57 |

## Results

Preliminary results indicated that the turnout had been as high as 55%. The March 14 Alliance garnered 71 seats in the 128-member parliament, while the March 8 Alliance won 57 seats. This result is virtually the same as the result from the election in 2005. However, the March 14 alliance saw this as a moral victory over Hezbollah, who led the March 8 Alliance, and the balance of power was expected to shift in its favor. Many observers expect to see the emergence of a National Unity Government similar to that created following the Doha Agreement in 2008.
| Election Results for each alliance | Election Results for each alliance | Total | % 14M | 14 March | % 8M | 8 March |
| Beirut 19 | Beirut 1 | 5 | 52.1% | 5 | 47.9% | 0 |
| Beirut 19 | Beirut 2 | 4 | 50.5% | 2 | 49.5% | 2 |
| Beirut 19 | Beirut 3 | 10 | 69.6% | 10 | 31.4% | 0 |
| Bekaa 23 | Baalbek +Hermel | 10 | 21.6% | 0 | 78.4% | 10 |
| Bekaa 23 | Zahleh | 7 | 52.7% | 7 | 47.3% | 0 |
| Bekaa 23 | Rashaya +West Bekaa | 6 | 53.3% | 6 | 46.7% | 0 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Jbeil | 3 | 28.6% | 0 | 71.4% | 3 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Kisrawan | 5 | 30.9% | 0 | 69.1% | 5 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | North Metn | 8 | 42.4% | 2 | 58.6% | 6 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Baabda | 6 | 41.8% | 0 | 58.2% | 6 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Aley | 5 | 60.2% | 4 | 39.8% | 1 |
| Mount Lebanon 35 | Chouf | 8 | 69.6% | 8 | 30.4% | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Akkar | 7 | 61.1% | 7 | 38.9% | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Dinniyeh +Minnieh | 3 | 70.9% | 3 | 29.1% | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Bsharreh | 2 | 71.4% | 2 | 28.6% | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Tripoli | 8 | 63.5% | 8 | 36.5% | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Zgharta | 3 | 44.2% | 0 | 55.8% | 3 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Koura | 3 | 51.1% | 3 | 48.9% | 0 |
| North Lebanon 28 | Batroun | 2 | 50.2% | 2 | 49.8% | 0 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Saida | 2 | 63.9% | 2 | 36.1% | 0 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Tyre | 4 | 06.8% | 0 | 93.2% | 4 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Zahrani | 3 | 10.0% | 0 | 90.0% | 3 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Hasbaya +Marjeyoun | 5 | 21.4% | 0 | 78.6% | 5 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Nabatiyeh | 3 | 11.6% | 0 | 88.4% | 3 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Bint Jbeil | 3 | 05.8% | 0 | 94.2% | 3 |
| South Lebanon 23 | Jezzine | 3 | 25.5% | 0 | 74.5% | 3 |
| Total 128 | Total 128 | 128 | 55.5% | 71 | 44.5% | 57 |

## Formation of government

As is typical of Lebanese politics political wrangling after the elections took 5 months. Only in November was the composition of the new cabinet agreed upon: 15 seats for the March 14 Alliance, 10 for the March 8 Alliance, and 5 nominated by Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, who has cast himself as a neutral party between the two main political blocks.

## Aftermath

The government fell in January 2011 after the March 8 alliance's 11 ministers withdrew from the government over PM Hariri's refusal to convene a cabinet meeting to discuss possible indictments to be issued by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon.
The March 8 alliance formed a new government in the ensuing six months, at which point the seats in parliament were divided as follows.
Parliament composition in june 2011 Lebanese Parliament election results :
| Alliances | Seats | Parties | Seats |
| Government 68 | 27 | Change and Reform bloc | Change and Reform bloc |
| Government 68 | 27 | Free Patriotic Movement (Tayyar Al-Watani Al-Horr) | 19 |
| Government 68 | 27 | Lebanese Democratic Party (Hizb al-democraty al-lubnany) | 2 |
| Government 68 | 27 | Marada Movement | 3 |
| Government 68 | 27 | Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Tashnag) | 2 |
| Government 68 | 27 | Solidarity Party (Hizb Al-Tadamon Al-Lubnany) | 1 |
| Government 68 | 30 | March 8 Alliance | March 8 Alliance |
| Government 68 | 30 | Amal Movement (Harakat Amal) | 13 |
| Government 68 | 30 | Loyalty to the Resistance (Hezbollah) | 13 |
| Government 68 | 30 | Syrian Social Nationalist Party (al-Hizb al-Qawmi al-souri al ijtima'i) | 2 |
| Government 68 | 30 | Arab Socialist Ba'ath Party | 2 |
| Government 68 | 11 | Pro-Government Independents | Pro-Government Independents |
| Government 68 | 11 | Progressive Socialist Party | 7 |
| Government 68 | 11 | Glory Movement | 2 |
| Government 68 | 11 | Safadi Bloc | 2 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | March 14 Alliance | March 14 Alliance |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Future Movement (Tayyar Al Mustaqbal) | 29 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Lebanese Forces (al-Quwāt al-Lubnāniyya) | 8 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Kataeb Party (Hizb al-Kataeb) | 5 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Murr Bloc | 2 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Social Democrat Hunchakian Party (Social Democrat Hunchakian Party) | 2 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Islamic Group (Jamaa al-Islamiya) | 1 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Armenian Democratic Liberal Party (Ramgavar Party) | 1 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Democratic Left Movement (ĥarakatu-l-yasāri-d-dimuqrātī) | 1 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | National Liberal Party (Hizbu-l-waTaniyyīni-l-aHrār) | 1 |
| Opposition 60 | 60 | Independents (including ex-PSP) | 10 |
| – | – | Total | 128 |
Source