Bekaa I ( ar, دائرة البقاع الاولى) is an electoral district in
Lebanon
Lebanon ( , ar, لُبْنَان, translit=lubnān, ), officially the Republic of Lebanon () or the Lebanese Republic, is a country in Western Asia. It is located between Syria to the north and east and Israel to the south, while Cyprus li ...
, as per the 2017 vote law. The district elects 2
Greek Catholic The term Greek Catholic Church can refer to a number of Eastern Catholic Churches following the Byzantine (Greek) liturgy, considered collectively or individually.
The terms Greek Catholic, Greek Catholic church or Byzantine Catholic, Byzantine Ca ...
parliamentarians, 1
Maronite
The Maronites ( ar, الموارنة; syr, ܡܖ̈ܘܢܝܐ) are a Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and Levant region of the Middle East, whose members traditionally belong to the Maronite Church, with the larges ...
, 1
Greek Orthodox
The term Greek Orthodox Church (Greek language, Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, ''Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía'', ) has two meanings. The broader meaning designates "the Eastern Orthodox Church, entire body of Orthodox (Chalced ...
, 1
Armenian Orthodox, 1
Shia
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest Islamic schools and branches, branch of Islam. It holds that the Prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad in Islam, Muhammad designated Ali, ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his S ...
and 1
Sunni
Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a disagr ...
. The electoral district covers the ''
qada'' of
Zahle.
[Konrad-Adenauer-Stiftung. ]
Political Party Mapping in Lebanon Ahead of the 2018 Elections
'' The electoral district retained the geographic boundaries and seat allocation of the Zahle electoral district from the previous electoral law.
[IFES. ]
Electoral Districts in Lebanon
''
Electorate
The electorate in the first Bekaa electoral district is predominately Christian.[دائرة البقاع الاولى]
. ''Annahar'' Ahead of the 2018 elections, electoral district had 172,555 registered voters; 48,867 Sunni (28.32%), 27,538 Shia (15.96%), 906 Druze (0.53%), 32,295 Greek Catholic (18.72%), 27,049 Maronite (15.68%), 16,470 Greek Orthodox (9.54%), 8,604 Armenian Orthodox (4.99%), 6,646 Syriac Orthodox and Syriac Catholic (3.85%), 1,846 Armenian Catholic (1.07%), 1,349 Evangelical (0.78%) and 985 from other sects (0.57%).[
]
Political dynamics
Local politics in Zahle was for long been dominated by the Skaff clan, ever since the French Mandate administration chose to benefit the family in order to counter the influence of other local elites. But the election of Zahle politician Elias Hrawi
Elias Hrawi ( ar, الياس الهراوي, 4 September 1926 – 7 July 2006) was president of Lebanon, whose term of office ran from 1989 to 1998.
Early life and education
Hrawi was born in Hawch Al Umara, Zahlé, to a wealthy landowning Maro ...
as President of Lebanon challenged the position of the Skaff bloc leader Elias J. Skaff. In the 1990s pro-Syrian forces opted to rally behind the city mayor and lawyer Nicolas Fattouch, creating an alternative bloc of political power.
2009 election
Ahead of the 2009 Lebanese general election
Parliamentary elections were held in Lebanon on 7 June 2009 to elect all 128 members of the Parliament of Lebanon.
Background
Before the election, the voting age was to be lowered from 21 to 18 years, but as this requires a constitutional a ...
the Zahle electoral district had 158,005 registered voters.Lebanese Forces
The Lebanese Forces ( ar, القوات اللبنانية '')'' is a Lebanese Christian-based political party and former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's parliament and is therefore th ...
and the Kataeb Party, and the Skaff-aligned Popular Bloc list supported by Hezbollah
Hezbollah (; ar, حزب الله ', , also transliterated Hizbullah or Hizballah, among others) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and militant group, led by its Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah since 1992. Hezbollah's parami ...
and the Free Patriotic Movement.[ The Fattouch-led list won, receiving an average 48,688 votes for their candidates, while the Skaff-led list finished in second place with an average vote for its candidates at 41,380.][ The elected MPs from the Fattouch list were Elie Maroni of the Kataeb Party (Maronite, 49,328 votes), ]Okab Sakr
Okab Sakr or Oakab Saker ( ar, عقاب صقر; born 4 March 1975) is a Lebanese journalist and politician who lost his father before he was born during the beginning of the Lebanese civil war. Sakr won a seat in the Lebanese parliament on 7 Jun ...
(Shia, 49,238 votes), Shant Janjanian (Armenian Orthodox, 48,527 votes), Asim Araji (Sunni, 48,524 votes), Joseph Maalouf (Greek Orthodox, 48,288 votes), Tony Abou Khater (Greek Catholic, 47,999 votes) and Nicolas Fattouch (Greek Catholic, 47,709 votes). The most voted candidate on the other list was Elias J. Skaff, with 42,975 votes.
2018 election
5 lists were registered in the electoral district for the 2018 Lebanese general election
General elections were held in Lebanon on 6 May 2018. Although originally scheduled for 2013, the election was postponed three times in 2013, 2014 and 2017 under various pretexts, including the security situation, the failure of the Parliament ...
.[77 لائحة تُقصي 334 مرشحاً: لبنان إلى الانتخابات]
''Al-Akhbar'' An alliance of Free Patriotic Movement, Future Movement, Tashnaq and independents was announced with the candidature name "Zahle for All".[اعلان لوائح في صيدا - جزين وزحلة وعكار]
. ''An-Nahar''[13 لائحة في البقاع: أم معارك حزب الله]
''Al-Modon'' Lebanese Forces and the Kataeb Party fielded the "Zahle is Our Cause" list.[ There were also the "Popular Bloc" list led by Myriam Skaff, "Zahle Options and Decisions" led by Nicolas Fattouch (including a Hezbollah candidate) and the civil society list "We are All National".][ Ashraf Rifi did not field a list in Zahle, as he failed to reach an alliance with Kataeb and Lebanese Forces on the matter.][زحلة دائرة المفاجآت... والأرمني عقدة]
''Al-Akhbar'' Commenting on the pre-electoral alliance-building in Zahle, an Al-Jazeera
Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazeera ...
journalist noted " zarre alliances competing for one eastern city's seven seats reflect maneuvering for votes in parliamentary elections".[Al-Jazeera. ]
In Lebanon's Zahle, elections are local
'
:''Bold indicated incumbent parliamentarian, green winning candidate''
References
{{Electoral districts of Lebanon
Electoral districts of Lebanon