2026 Lebanese general election

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| <- 2022 | May 2026 | 2030 ->

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<- outgoing members

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All 128 seats to the Parliament of Lebanon
65 seats needed for a majority
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Leader  | Samir Geagea | Gebran Bassil | Naim Qassem
Party  | Lebanese Forces | FPM | Hezbollah
Leader's seat  | Did not stand | Batroun | Did not stand
Last election  | 19  | 17  | 15

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Leader  | Nabih Berri | Walid Jumblatt | Samy Gemayel
Party  | Amal Movement | PSP | Kataeb
Leader's seat  | Zahrani | Did not stand | Metn
Last election  | 15  | 8  | 4

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Leader  | Hagop Pakradounian | Suleiman Frangieh | Michel Moawad
Party  | Tashnag | Marada Movement | Independence Movement
Leader's seat  | Metn | Did not stand | Zgharta
Last election  | 3  | 2  | 2

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| Incumbent Prime Minister

Nawaf Salam
Independent

|

General elections are scheduled to be held in Lebanon in May 2026 to elect all 128 members of the Lebanese Parliament.[1] The elections will take place following the successful 2025 election of president Joseph Aoun.[2]

## Background

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### Election of Aoun and appointment of Salam

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On 9 January 2025, Aoun was elected president in the second round of the electoral session.[3] In his inaugural address, he vowed to fight the mafias, drug trafficking, interference in the justice system, corruption, poverty, and sectarianism. He also stated that he would promote economic, political, and judicial reform.[4][5]

In one of his first acts as president, Aoun nominated Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, as Prime Minister of Lebanon after winning the majority of votes by the members of parliament.[6] Salam and Aoun's election is seen as a manifestation of Hezbollah's diminished influence in Lebanese politics, partly due to the group's military and financial losses in the conflict with Israel and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria.[7][8] Aoun formally appointed Salam as Prime Minister on 8 February 2025.[9]

### Disarming of Hezbollah

[edit]

Hezbollah, facing regional pressures and internal challenges, expressed willingness to discuss its armament, contingent upon Israel's withdrawal from contested territories in southern Lebanon and the cessation of military strikes. Aoun emphasized direct talks between the presidency and Hezbollah to establish "modalities" for transferring weapons to state control.[10] He stated that he aims to make 2025 the year of "state monopoly on arms". The Lebanese Army, under Aoun’s direction, was tasked with confiscating weapons and dismantling unauthorized military facilities in southern Lebanon.[11] This is in line with the ceasefire agreement following the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which requires the army to extend state authority and remove all unauthorized arms caches and outposts, regardless of the group controlling them.

## Electoral system

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In accordance with the Lebanese practice of political confessionalism, the Lebanese religious communities distribute reserved seats in the different constituencies according to their demographic weight. The distribution of votes is proportional.[12] Once all the ballot papers have been counted, the total of valid votes in each constituency is divided by the number of seats to be filled, which gives the electoral threshold necessary for a list to obtain a seat.[13] The distribution of seats is done between the lists having reached this quorum proportionally according to the percentage of votes obtained, then within the lists in accordance with the denominational quotas and the number of preferential votes obtained by the candidates.[13]

### Debate of changing the electoral law

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With the 2026 parliamentary elections approaching, political debate is intensifying over which electoral law will govern the vote. The key question is whether elections will be held under the current proportional representation system with amendments or under an entirely new law, such as the "single electoral district" proposal by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The proposed single electoral district system raises concerns among Christian parties and independent Christian MPs, who argue that it would significantly diminish the Christian political influence.[14]

## See also

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* 2022–2025 Lebanese presidential election

## External links

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* Elections.gov.lb (official website)

## References

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1. ^ "All eyes on the 2026 Legislative Elections and the post Hezbollah-Amal alliance era". L'Orient Today. 2025-04-11. Retrieved 2025-04-23.
2. ^ Todman, Will (2025-01-10). "Lebanon Finally Elects a President". Center for Strategic and International Studies.
3. ^ "Lebanon's army chief Joseph Aoun elected president". Al Arabiya. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
4. ^ "Joseph Aoun, elected president, wants Lebanese state to invest in its army to protect its borders, combat smuggling, terrorism, Israeli aggression | Our live coverage of the parliamentary session". L'Orient Today. 9 January 2025. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
5. ^ "انتخاب جوزيف عون رئيسا للبنان". الجزيرة نت (in Arabic). Retrieved 10 January 2025.
6. ^ "Head of the International Court of Justice is named Lebanon's new prime minister". AP News. 14 January 2025. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
7. ^ Todman, Will (2025-01-10). "Lebanon Finally Elects a President". csis.org.
8. ^ Bassam, Laila (14 January 2025). "PM-designate Salam extends hand to Hezbollah, aims to rebuild Lebanon". Reuters.
9. ^ "War-torn Lebanon forms its first government in over 2 years". AP News. Retrieved 2025-02-08.
10. ^ "Lebanese president says Hezbollah disarmament will come through dialogue not 'force'". AP News. 2025-04-14. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
11. ^ "2025 to be 'year of state monopoly on arms': Joseph Aoun". L'Orient Today. 2025-04-15. Retrieved 2025-04-15.
12. ^ Lebanon passing parliamentary law is a step in right direction Gulf News, 16 June 2017
13. ^ a b Electoral system Inter-Parliamentary Union
14. ^ "Lebanons 2026 elections: Debate over electoral law sparks political tensions". LBCIV7. Retrieved 2025-04-23.

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