The Skaff Bloc or Popular Bloc, led by Myriam Skaff, is a political party and an electoral coalition in the

Lebanese Parliament The Lebanese Parliament (, ) is the unicameral national parliament of the Lebanon, Republic of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year term in Electoral district, multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's divers ...

that aligned with the

Free Patriotic Movement The Free Patriotic Movement (, ) is a Lebanese political party. Founded by Michel Aoun in 1994, the party is currently led by Aoun's son-in-law Gebran Bassil since 2015. History Background For many years, while Michel Aoun was and exiled i ...

from 2005 to 2009.

History

The bloc was initially founded by

Joseph Skaff Joseph Elias Tohme Skaf (; 1922–1991) was a Lebanese politician who is considered one of the most prominent personalities of the Skaff family in the city of Zahle. He held several ministerial positions from 1955 to 1988 under 5 different pres ...

who supported multiple candidates in the Beqaa region to run under his electoral lists. The lists were successful between 1947 and 1972. During the 21st century it became a part of the current Lebanese opposition

Change and Reform bloc The Change and Reform bloc was a bloc in the Parliament of Lebanon that represented the Free Patriotic Movement and its allies, including the Marada Movement, the Tachnaq party, Tachnag Party, the Lebanese Democratic Party, and several independent ...

, headed by Michel Aoun. In 2005, they manage to obtain most of the seats in the Zahle district. In 2009, the party lost all its deputies after the victory of the

14 March alliance The March 14 Alliance (), named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, was a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that were united by their anti- Assad stance and by their opposition to the March 8 Alliance. ...

in the district. After the death of

Elias Skaff Elias (Elie) Skaff ( Arabic: الياس سكاف; born 11 October 1948 – 10 October 2015) was a Lebanese politician and leader of the Popular Bloc. Early years and education Elias Skaff was born in Zahlé, Lebanon on 11 October 1948. He is t ...

on 10 October 2015, his wife, Myriam Skaff, took control of the party. During the Lebanese municipal election of 2016 in Zahle, an attempt at forging an electoral coalition with the

and the

Lebanese Forces The Lebanese Forces ( ') is a Lebanon, Lebanese Christianity in Lebanon, Christian-based political party and Lebanese Forces (militia), former militia during the Lebanese Civil War. It currently holds 19 of the 128 seats in Lebanon's Parliamen ...

failed, prompting the Popular bloc to run against the Christian parties and Nicolas Fattouche list. The alliance broke definitively with the

. The party resumed operations during the 2018 Lebanese general elections, however failed to win any seats with 10,563 votes in total.

2022 general elections

Myriam Skaff headed a 6-member list in the district of Zahle during the

2022 Lebanese general election General elections were held in Lebanon on 15 May 2022 (one week earlier for overseas voters and one day earlier for ballot workers) to elect all 128 members of the Parliament of Lebanon, Lebanese Parliament. The country has for several years be ...

but failed to win any seats. In total they managed to receive 11,501 votes which was 938 more than the last elections. The votes were distributed as such: Myriam Skaff of the

Greek Catholic Greek Catholic Church or Byzantine-Catholic Church may refer to: * The Catholic Church in Greece * The Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Ea ...

seat received 4825, Maroun Makhoul of the

Maronite Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christianity, Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally re ...

seat received 317 votes, Sami Nabhan of the

Greek Orthodox Greek Orthodox Church (, , ) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian Churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Rom ...

received 274 votes, Mohammad Hammoud of the

Sunni Sunni Islam is the largest branch of Islam and the largest religious denomination in the world. It holds that Muhammad did not appoint any successor and that his closest companion Abu Bakr () rightfully succeeded him as the caliph of the Mu ...

seat received 5869 votes, Fawzat Dalloul of the

Shiite Shia Islam is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that Muhammad designated Ali ibn Abi Talib () as both his political successor (caliph) and as the spiritual leader of the Muslim community (imam). However, his right is understood ...

seat received 83 votes and Narik Ibrahimian of the

Armenian Orthodox The Armenian Apostolic Church () is the autocephalous national church of Armenia. Part of Oriental Orthodoxy, it is one of the most ancient Christian churches. The Armenian Apostolic Church, like the Armenian Catholic Church, belongs to the Arme ...

seat received 133 votes.

References

1947 establishments in Lebanon Catholic political parties Christian political parties in Lebanon March 8 Alliance Parliamentary blocs of Lebanon Political parties established in 1947 Political parties in Lebanon Political parties of minorities in Lebanon {{Lebanon-party-stub