The Role of Political Parties in a Confessional Democracy: the Lebanese Case

Abstract

HIS PAPER EXAMINES the role of parties in Lebanon, a country with a type of democratic system not familiar in the democratic West. The first task, therefore, will be to present a brief account of how confessional democracy operates in Lebanon and to arrive at a definition of political suitable for the purpose. After stressing the minority characteristic of all parties in Lebanon, a distinction will be made between and trans-national parties. This will facilitate the differentiation between the functions performed by each group on the Lebanese scene and their comparison with functions performed by parties in other countries. It is assumed that, apart from certain basic exceptions, the functions parties perform depend on the kind of system in which they are found and on the needs of the particular public. The Lebanese case will be utilized to test certain hypotheses concerning the number, usefulness and role of parties in a system. Confessional democracy, as it operates in Lebanon, assures each religious sect a share in parliamentary, governmental, and civil service offices which is proportionate to that group's numerical strength in the country's population.? The Lebanese government recognizes seventeen religious sects, all of which are minorities anxious to safeguard and enhance their status. As a consequence, freedom of worship, speech, and assembly has been much coveted and generally observed. It is obvious that this arrangement is democratic in the sense that it provides representation for all minorities in the population. Majoritarian democracy, where a party or a group of representatives acts on behalf of the whole population and for the public welfare, remains an alien concept in Lebanon. Lebanese confessionalism is not restricted to governmental institutions. Indeed, confessionalism on the governmental level is to a great extent a reflection of the breakdown of society into numerous self-conscious religious communities anxious to maintain their identity and separate status. It is not the place here to discuss the origins and causes of Lebanese confessionalism.2 Suffice it to say that it exists, permeates every governmental agency, and envelopes every social structure in the country, including parties.