The March 8 Alliance () is a loose coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their pro- Ba'athist Syria stance and their opposition to the former March 14 Alliance. It was the ruling coalition in Lebanon with the government headed by Prime Minister

Najib Mikati Najib Azmi Mikati (born 24 November 1955) is a Lebanese politician and businessman who served as the 52nd prime minister of Lebanon from 2021 to 2025. He previously served in this post as the 48th and 45th prime minister from 2011 to 2014 and i ...

from June 2011 until March 2013.March 8 finished, Aoun out in the cold
''The Daily Star'' 10 July 2013 Main parties of the March 8 Alliance are part of the third Cabinet of Najib Mikati since 2021.

History

The name dates back to 8 March 2005 when different parties called for a mass demonstration in downtown

Beirut Beirut ( ; ) is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Lebanon. , Greater Beirut has a population of 2.5 million, just under half of Lebanon's population, which makes it the List of largest cities in the Levant region by populatio ...

in response to the

Cedar Revolution The Cedar Revolution (), also known as the Independence uprising (), was a chain of demonstrations in Lebanon (especially in the capital Beirut) triggered by the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. The popular movemen ...

. The demonstration thanked

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

for helping stop the

Lebanese Civil War The Lebanese Civil War ( ) was a multifaceted armed conflict that took place from 1975 to 1990. It resulted in an estimated 150,000 fatalities and led to the exodus of almost one million people from Lebanon. The religious diversity of the ...

and the aid in stabilising Lebanon and supporting the Lebanese resistance to the Israeli occupation. Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun eventually joined the rival March 8 Alliance, becoming one of its principal coalition partners.

Inclusion of Free Patriotic Movement

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) was the basis of the March 14 Alliance movement. FPM launched the Liberation War against the Syrian Army on 14 March 1989 and participated in all demonstrations against the Syrian occupation until the

's mass demonstration on 14 March 2005. The FPM split from the March 14 Alliance on 6 February 2006, when its leader Michel Aoun signed a memorandum of understanding with

Hezbollah Hezbollah ( ; , , ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing is the Jihad Council, and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament. I ...

. FPM considered its project against the Syrian government completed when the Syrian Army left Lebanon at the end of April 2005.

Ruling Alliance (2011–2013)

The Progressive Socialist Party left the March 14 alliance in January 2011 after being one of its cornerstones and ostensibly aligned itself with the alliance's Change and Reform bloc after

Walid Jumblatt Walid Kamal Jumblatt (; born 7 August 1949) is a Lebanese politician who was the leader of the Progressive Socialist Party from 1977 until 2023. A Druze and former militia commander, Jumblatt led the Lebanese National Resistance Front, allying ...

visited Damascus. This move gave the alliance and its partners a majority in the parliament, enabling them to name

as prime minister to form the Lebanese government of June 2011. The government led by March 8 Alliance survived 22 months until Mikati's resignation on 23 March 2013.

2016 presidential elections

After a presidential vacuum that lasted from 23 April 2014 until 31 October 2016, the Parliament was able to elect MP and former General Michel Aoun, who in turn nominated March 14 member

Saad Hariri Saad El-Din Rafik Al-Hariri ( ; born 18 April 1970) is a Lebanese people, Lebanese businessman and politician who served as the Prime Minister of Lebanon, prime minister of Lebanon from 2009 to 2011 and 2016 to 2020. The son of Rafic Hariri, he ...

as Prime Minister.

2018 legislative elections

The alliance emerged victorious as they gathered 76 seats out of 128 (60%), in the first legislative elections since 2009.

2019 cabinet

The Alliance had 18 out of 30 ministers (60%) in the Lebanese Cabinet; it was equally represented in both parliament and cabinet.

September 2021 Cabinet

The Alliance has 16 out of 24 ministers (66%) in the current Lebanese Cabinet; it is equally represented in both parliament and cabinet.

2022 legislative elections

The alliance gathered 61 seats out of 128 (47%) and lost their parliamentary majority but still won the Parliament speaker election. The 2022 Strong Lebanon bloc was formed by FPM (17), Tashnaq (3) and Akkar MP Mohamad Yehya.

Constituent parties

It currently holds roughly 51 of 128 seats in the parliament after the 2022 elections and consists of: Former or inactive members * Popular Nasserist Organization * Toilers League * People's Movement * Al-Mourabitoun * Nasserist Unionists Movement

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:March 8 Alliance Anti-Israeli sentiment in Lebanon 2005 establishments in Lebanon Political parties established in 2005 Axis of Resistance