System of political parties in Lebanon: nature and development of its politics

Abstract

The main aim of the following paper is to examine the relationship between consociationalism and the political party system in Lebanon. The question is whether consociationalism consolidates a fragmented party system and whether it can mitigate its splintering dynamic. This paper examines this question by firstly introducing the current political system and secondly comparing it to other consociational regimes (Belgium and Malaysia). It then examines the different parties present, their nature, what makes them special, and how do they consolidate cleavages in comparative perspectives. Some of the comparative analysis utilized present related strategies followed by parties, the party system, and its correlation to the electoral system. This paper will be expanded and backed up by different literature reviews and theories in order to provide an idea about how Lebanon, is similar in comparative perspective and how it can benefit from the various international experiences in managing its party plurality.