The parliament in Lebanon consists of 128 members equally divided between Christians and Muslims according to the Taef agreement that officially ended the civil war. According to the new Lebanese election law, members of parliament are elected based on the governorate division. People in each governerate elect candidates from their governerate to represent them in the parliament. For the 1996 elections, the Mount Lebanon governorate was exempt from this law and was divided into six electorate districts. All Lebanese citizens who are 21 years of age or older and who have been holding the Lebanese citizenship for 10 or more years are eligible to vote.
Eligible voters have to be physically present in Lebanon to vote.
Role of Parliament The Parliament in Lebanon is the sole legislative branch of the government. As a result, the parliament has to approve all proposed laws before they become effective. Furthermore, as the Lebanese regime is Democratic Parliamentary, the parliament elects the president of the republic. The president of the republic, in consultation with the parliament, asks a Lebanese citizen to form the cabinet of ministers. After this cabinet is formed, it has to prepare a program and present it to the parliament.