Minorities (Lebanon)

In Lebanese politics Minorities (Arabic: أقليات‎‎ ’Aqaliyāt) is a term that includes six different Christian sects; Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics, Latin Catholics, Assyrians, Chaldeans and Copts. 1 of the 128 seats in the national parliament is allocated to Minorities (all seats in the Lebanese parliament are allocated to different confessional groups). The Minorities' seat is elected from Beirut III electoral district, an electoral district with a large Sunni Muslim majority (65.25% of the registered voters).

According to data released by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities in 2011 (not an official census as such), there were 42,715 registered Minorities voters (1.28% of all registered voters in the country). Electoral districts with significant Minorities populations were Beirut I 10,063 voters (11.0% of the registered voters in the electoral district, overwhelmingly Syriac Catholics), Beirut III 8,181 voters (3.18%), Metn 7,802 voters (4.56%), Zahle 7,225 voters (4.51%) and Beirut II 3,529 voters (3.44%). In the capital Beirut (all three districts combined) Minorities represented 4.83% of the registered voters.

A Minorities seat has existed in Lebanese politics since the first elections in 1922. However, the sects included in the Minorities concept has varied over time. During the first elections there were no separate seats for Protestants and Armenians, so they were included in Minorities as well. A separate Armenian Orthodox seat was instituted in 1934 and separate Protestant and Armenian Catholic seats were created in 1951.

In 1925 Michel Chiha, a Latin Catholic banker and journalist, was elected from the Beirut Minorities seat in the Representative Council.

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