Strong Lebanon Explained

Strong Lebanon
Native Name:تكتل لبنان القوي
Foundation:8 May 2018
Ideology:Christian democracy
Civic nationalism
Armenian nationalism[1]

Strong Lebanon (Arabic: تكتل لبنان القوي) is the parliamentary bloc of the Free Patriotic Movement and their allies in the Lebanese Parliament. Headed by Gebran Bassil, it consisted of 29 deputies after the 2018 general election[2] and shrunk to 17 deputies after the 2022 Lebanese general election.[3]

Election summary

ElectionSeatsChange
2018New
2022 12

2018–2022 session deputies

NameElection AreaPolitical AffiliationSect
Nicolas SehnaouiBeirut I FPMGreek Catholic
Antoine PanoBeirut I FPMMinorities
Edgard TraboulsiBeirut II FPMEvangelical
Assaad DerghamAkkar FPMGreek Orthodox
Gebran BassilBatroun FPMMaronite
Georges AtallahKoura FPMGreek Orthodox
Simon Abi RamiaByblos FPMMaronite
Roger AzarKeserwan FPMMaronite
Ibrahim KanaanMetn FPMMaronite
Edy MaaloufMetn FPMGreek Catholic
Alain AounBaabda FPMMaronite
Hikmat DibResigned from FPM on 1 March 2022Baabda FPMMaronite
Cesar Abi KhalilAley FPMMaronite
Mario AounChouf FPMMaronite
Farid BoustanyChouf FPMMaronite
Salim AounZahle FPMMaronite
Ziad AssouadJezzine FPMMaronite
Salim KhouryJezzine FPMGreek Catholic
Elias Bou SaabMetn IndependentGreek Orthodox
Hagop PakradounianMetn TashnaqArmenian Orthodox
Hagop TerzianBeirut I TashnaqArmenian Orthodox
Alexander MatousianBeirut I TashnaqArmenian Orthodox
Talal ArslanAley LDPDruze
Michel MoawadWithdrew in October 2019Zgharta IMMaronite
Michel DaherWithdrew in August 2020Zahle IndependentGreek Catholic
Neemat FremWithdrew in October 2019Keserwan IndependentMaronite
Chamel RoukozWithdrew in October 2019Keserwan IndependentMaronite
Elie FerzliExpelled in April 2021West Bekaa IndependentGreek Orthodox
Moustafa HusseinAkkar IndependentAlawite

Timeline

17 out of 29 MP from the bloc voted for Nabih Berri in the 2018 Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament election.

Elie Ferzli was elected as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon.

At the beginning of the 17 October Revolution, Neemat Frem, Chamel Roukoz and Michel Moawad left the bloc.[4]

After the 2020 Beirut explosion, Michel Daher left the bloc.[5]

In April 2021, Elie Ferzli left the bloc.[6]

On 1 March 2022, MP Hikmat Dib resigned from FPM causing the bloc to shrink to 23 MP.[7]

2022–2026 session deputies

NameElection AreaPolitical AffiliationSect
Nicolas SehnaouiBeirut I FPMGreek Catholic
Edgard TraboulsiBeirut II FPMEvangelical
Jimmy JabbourAkkar FPMMaronite
Assaad DerghamAkkar FPMGreek Orthodox
Gebran BassilBatroun FPMMaronite
Georges AtallahKoura FPMGreek Orthodox
Simon Abi RamiaResigned from FPM on 7 August 2024Byblos FPMMaronite
Nada Boustani KhouryKeserwan FPMMaronite
Ibrahim KanaanMetn FPMMaronite
Alain AounExpelled from FPM on 2 August 2024Baabda FPMMaronite
Cesar Abi KhalilAley FPMMaronite
Ghassan AtallahChouf FPMGreek Catholic
Farid BoustanyChouf FPMMaronite
Salim AounZahle FPMMaronite
Charbel MarounWest Bekaa FPMMaronite
Samer Al ToumBaalback FPMGreek Catholic
Elias Bou SaabExpelled in April 2024Metn IndependentGreek Orthodox
Hagop PakradounianMetn TashnaqArmenian Orthodox
Hagop TerzianBeirut I TashnaqArmenian Orthodox
George BouchikianExpelled on 6 December 2022Zahle TashnaqArmenian Orthodox
Mohamad YehyaAkkar IndependentSunni

Timeline

4 out of 21 MP from the bloc voted for Nabih Berri in the 2022 Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament election.[8]

Elias Bou Saab was elected as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon.

On 23 June 2022, Tashnaq and Yehya named Najib Mikati as prime minister unlike the rest of the bloc.[9]

On 10 September 2022, Gebran Bassil kicked out ex-MP Ziad Assouad and ex-MP Mario Aoun.[10]

On 14 September 2022, FPM boycotted the parliament session due to Bachir Gemayel assassination memorial.[11] On 13 October 2022, FPM boycotted the presidential election session due to 13 October memorial.[12]

On 10 November 2022, Hagop Pakradounian criticized his colleague in the bloc Jimmy Jabbour for participating in a memorial to the martyrs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Akkar.[13]

On 6 December 2022, Tashnaq kicked out MP Bouchikian which shrunk the Strong Lebanon bloc to 20.[14] Elias Bou Saab was reportedly kicked out of the Free Patriotic Movement bloc on April 2024 in which FPM sources cited political disagreements since the beginning of the 2022 parliament. Disagreements mostly include choice of presidential candidates and ideological differences.[15]

In August 2024, Alain Aoun was expelled from FPM for his lack of alignments with the parliamentary bloc, like refusing to vote for Jihad Azour in the 2022–2024 Lebanese presidential election.[16] On 7 August 2024, Simon Abi Ramia resigned from the Free Patriotic Movement citing "individualism" within the party and disagreements with its leader Gebran Bassil.[17]

See also

Notes and References

  1. News: Armenian Nationalist Party Threatens President Over Turkey Protocols. 7 September 2014. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 14 January 2010. Yerevan. 8 September 2014. https://web.archive.org/web/20140908041326/http://www.rferl.org/content/Armenian_Nationalist_Party_Threatens_President_Over_Turkey_Protocols/1929715.html. live.
  2. Web site: tayyar.org - FPM - Parliamentary Bloc. ar.
  3. Web site: تكتل لبنان القوي ٢١ نائبا .
  4. Web site: معوض ينشقّ عن "لبنان القوّي" .
  5. Web site: النائب ميشال ضاهر أعلن إنسحابه من تكتل "لبنان القوي" .
  6. Web site: الفرزلي: انسحبت من تكتل لبنان القوي .
  7. Web site: حكمت ديب قدم استقالته من "الوطني الحر" .
  8. Web site: نبيه بري نال فقط 4 أصوات من تكتل لبنان القويّ .
  9. Web site: Timour Azhari - twitter .
  10. Web site: Lebanon: Purge Targets Bassil’s Rivals within FPM .
  11. Web site: Christian MPs boycotted the session to commemorate former President Bachir Gemayel's 40th assassination anniversary .
  12. Web site: Berri adjourns presidential election session as FPM, Hezbollah boycott .
  13. Web site: Hagop Pakradounian on twitter .
  14. Web site: فصل النائب بوشيكيان عن كتلة نواب الأرمن .
  15. Web site: Lebanon: Bassil Eliminates Bou Saab from FPM after Differences over Presidency Issues . 2024-04-23 . english.aawsat.com . en.
  16. News: 2 August 2024 . Free Patriotic Movement dismisses Alain Aoun . L'Orient-Le Jour.
  17. News: 7 August 2024 . MP Simon Abi Ramia left the Free Patriotic Movement . L'Orient-Le Jour.