How are elections held in Lebanon?
Lebanon is a country where there is a liberal democratic system, but the real power here is with the Iran-backed Hezbollah organization. Western countries, Israel and some Arab world countries have declared it a terrorist organization, but it has a say in Lebanon's politics.
Lebanon has once again become the center of discussion around the world after the pager blast on Tuesday. The power of Iran-backed Hezbollah present in its border has raised questions on the democratic government of Lebanon. Lebanon has a liberal democracy, people in the country participate in elections and elect the government by casting their votes. But in the last few years, Lebanon's political power is in the hands of Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is a Shia organization, it is a political and powerful organization of Lebanon. It is believed that Hezbollah was founded by Iran in the 1980s against Israel. Since 1992, this organization has been participating in the general elections of Lebanon, which has also strengthened its political power.
The top posts of the government in Lebanon are reserved for different communities. While the post of President is reserved for Maronite Catholics, the post of Prime Minister is reserved for Sunni Muslims and the post of Speaker of Parliament is reserved for Shia Muslims. Not only this, the posts of Deputy Speaker of Parliament and Deputy Prime Minister in Lebanon are reserved for Greek Orthodox Christians and the post of Army General Staff is reserved for Druze. In simple words, the government system of Lebanon works on the lines of 'the greater the number, the greater the share'.