National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)

Constitution:
23 May 1926; amended a number of times, most recently Charter of
Lebanese National Reconciliation (Ta'if Accord) of October 1989

Legal system:
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law;
no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at
age 21 with elementary education

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June
2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15
October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year
extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted
96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni
Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected
president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against,
10 abstentions

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or
Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005
(next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group -
Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering 15; Development and
Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance 14; Free Patriotic
Movement 14; Lebanese Forces 6; Qornet Shewan 5; Popular Bloc 4;
Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National Socialist Party 2;
Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2; Democratic Renewal
Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular Movement 1; Ba'th
Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 5

Judicial branch:
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial
cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council
(called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on constitutionality of laws);
Supreme Council (hears charges against the president and prime
minister as needed)

Political parties and leaders:
Ba'th Party; Democratic Gathering [Walid JUMBLATT]; Democratic Left
[Ilyas ATALLAH]; Democratic Renewal Movement [Nassib LAHUD];
Development and Resistance Bloc [Nabih BERRI, Amal Movement
leader/Speaker of the National Assembly]; Free Patriotic Movement
[Michel AWN]; Future Movement Bloc [Sa'ad HARIRI]; Kataeb Party
[Karim PAKRADONI]; Kataeb Reform Movement [Amine GEMAYAL]; Lebanese
Forces [Samir JA'JA]; Loyalty to the Resistance [Mohammad RA'AD];
Metn Bloc [Michel MURR]; Nasserite Popular Movement [Ussama SAAD];
National Bloc [Carlos EDDE]; Popular Bloc [Elias SKAFF]; Qornet
Shewan Gathering National Socialist Party [Ali QANSU]; Tachnaq Party; Tripoli
Independent Bloc

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)