Political Overview
Lebanon is an Arab state with an established history of democratic practices. Democratic institutions, including a relatively independent judiciary and a Parliament that can both initiate legislation and provide a degree of oversight to the executive branch, were built into the country's political framework at its independence in 1943. These institutions functioned reasonably well until the civil war in Lebanon which lasted from 1975-1990 and tore apart much of the country's political and social fabric. With the Lebanese government unable to provide for the security or basic needs of its citizens in much of the country, a widespread network of civil society organizations arose to fill the gap. Through their efforts to increase the government's responsiveness to citizens' needs, these organizations have been leading the movement for further democratic reform in Lebanon.
During the civil war, Syria deployed troops to Lebanon and strongly influenced Lebanon's politics and economics until 2005. Following the February 14, 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, massive protests took place throughout the country, and this spurred a renewed drive for democratization in Lebanon. International pressure led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from the country, and a large, anti-Syrian coalition comprised of Muslims, Christians, and Druze and led by Saad Hariri and Walid Jumblatt won an absolute majority of seats in Lebanon's 2005 legislative elections. Almost all political actors have expressed their intent to reform Lebanon's electoral law once the legislative polls have concluded. The recent crisis with Israel has further slowed the democratization process and the future of proposed reforms is uncertain. The coming year will help determine Lebanese political leaders' commitment to meaningful democratic reform.
Program Overview
In December 2005, NDI launched a 12-month, multifaceted program to continue support for civic organizations and women activists and to begin work with reform-minded political parties and movements. The goal is to promote a more responsible political system with institutions which are accountable to Lebanese citizens and not narrow sectarian interests. As part of this program, NDI established a focus group research center in Beirut to help civic and political actors and policymakers better understand and value the viewpoint of citizens on a wide variety of issues related to the democratization process.
Beirut is also home to NDI's Regional Resource Center, which has played a crucial role in strengthening the capacity of Lebanese civic organizations in the promotion of democratic reforms through advocacy campaigns and citizen participation programs. The Center also serves as a resource for Arabic-language training guides and materials for NDI's offices and partners in promoting democratic practices and institutions throughout the Middle East and North Africa.
Recent Activities
Encouraging Public Discourse to Foster Reform
While numerous Lebanese civil society organizations have successfully mobilized public support for short-term advocacy campaigns, few have been able to sustain longer-term efforts to affect legislative and policy reform. To assist Lebanese activists in developing the necessary skills to open dialogue with the public and with policy makers on salient public policy issues, NDI is working to provide a number of multi-sectarian, membership-based organizations with institutional development and advocacy skills training as they plan and implement campaigns on key national questions. NDI has also recently established a focus group center so that political activists and candidates can be aware of the issues concerning Lebanese voters.
Recent activities include:
Assistance to create and implement a 9-month pilot youth leadership program which aims to empower youth of diverse backgrounds with the skills necessary to actively participate in local government and political life.
Support to develop an action plan and strategy to reconstitute the Applied Budget Coalition (ABC), a collaborative of civic organizations dedicated to increasing transparency of the budget process and improving communication on national fiscal allocations among civil society, government, and citizens.
Meetings with international and domestic organizations to coordinate education and outreach efforts around the new electoral law and ensure effective use of resources, both human and financial.
Background
NDI first began working in Lebanon in May 2000 with the organization of workshops on coalition building and community problem solving for Lebanese civic activists. NDI has since worked in the area of elections, providing Lebanese NGOs with technical assistance and comparative materials on election system design and electoral law reform.
NDI has also worked to assist municipal officials in the development of the necessary skills to respond to their constituencies through a partnership with the Development and Municipality Studies Center (DMSC). The Institute conducted a workshop in July 2003 on the process of Applied Budget Analysis, which included participants from political parties, the government, and civil society. The Institute hopes to encourage the use of this process as a means of bridging the gap between civil society and national politics.
In 2004, NDI launched a program to strengthen the ability of interested women to mount viable campaigns for local and national office and increase nationwide support among citizens, political parties, and the government for female candidates. The Institute conducted a series of three two-day training workshops for over 80 women participants. Trainings took place in Beirut, Saida (South) and Tripoli (North) and brought together women candidates and activists from all regions of the country.
Contact Information
For further information on our programs in Lebanon, please contact:
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