LEBANON
A way out of the crisis?
General Michel Sleiman was elected as Lebanon's president by the country's parliament on May 25. The election had been delayed 19 times since November 2007 and is one of the first steps towards peace in this violence marked nation.
Lebanese lawmakers have elected Michel Sleiman as president of their deeply divided nation in a critical first step towards ending a crippling 18-month political crisis.
Lebanon had been without a leader since the pro-Syrian Emile Lahoud stepped down at the end of his mandate on November 24, 2007. Dissensions between the Western-backed government coalition and the pro-Syrian opposition led by the Shia Hezbollah party caused the presidential election to be delayed several times.
Several Lebanese politicians have been assassinated since 2005, adding to the climate of instability. The majority accuses neighbouring Syria to be behind the attacks.
The political crisis turned violent in May. Fights erupted between rival factions in Beirut, bringing back memories of the 1975-1990 civil war. Civil war had seemed imminent, with Hezbollah battling government partisans to seize parts of Beirut.
The election should revitalize state institutions, which had crumbled as Lebanon plunged into violence.
Under Lebanon's complex power-sharing system, the president is always a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament a Shi'ite Muslim.
Sleiman elected Lebanon’s new president
After 19 postponements in six months, Lebanese lawmakers elected Gen. Michel Sleiman as president, ending a deadlock which has left the post vacant since November. (Report: N. RUSHWORTH)
Lebanon leaders clinch a deal to end crisis
At dawn on the sixth day of the Doha talks, Lebanese officials and opposition reached an agreement to end the political crisis and elect General Michel Sleiman as president on Sunday.
Shia militias take over west Beirut districts
Hezbollah-led militias have taken over parts of west Beirut after routing militants loyal to the pro-Western majority. As the death toll reaches 16, opposition forces threaten to paralyse the Lebanese capital until the political crisis is resolved.
Arms race in Lebanon
Since President Emile Lahoud stepped down in Nov. 2007, tension in Lebanon has been at boiling point. Weapon prices have quadrupled in the last year, suggesting that opposing factions are arming themselves. (Report: J-M. Quemener)
Pour aller plus loin
- 08/05/2008 : Nasrallah slams government's 'declaration of war'
- 21/05/2008 : Lebanon deal: who won?
- 21/05/2008 : Opposition begins dismantling Beirut protest camp
- 21/05/2008 : Rival Lebanon leaders clinch deal to end crisis
- 19/05/2008 : Lebanon talks stall as Qatar proposal rejected
- 15/05/2008 : Lebanon cabinet cancels anti-Hezbollah measures
- 14/05/2008 : Arab League mediators arrive in Beirut
- 27/05/2008 : Michel Sleiman, consensus president
- 11/05/2008 : Intense fighting erupts southeast of Beirut
- 10/05/2008 : Hezbollah ends west Beirut takeover
- 10/05/2008 : Hezbollah takes over West Beirut
- 09/05/2008 : Shia militias take over west Beirut districts
- 08/05/2008 : Beirut airport closes as Hezbollah supporters keep up pressure
- 07/05/2008 : Labour strike turns violent in Lebanon
- 06/05/2008 : Beirut challenge to Hezbollah telecom network
- 22/04/2008 : Lebanon's presidential vote postponed again
- 30/03/2008 : Summit ends with no consensus on Lebanon
- 28/03/2008 : Lebanon lifts Persepolis ban
- 26/03/2008 : Lebanon bans prize-winning 'Persepolis'
- 11/03/2008 : Frustration over Lebanon vote delay
- 29/02/2008 : Hezbollah lambasts US 'interference' in Lebanon
- 14/02/2008 : Hezbollah declares 'open war' on Israel
- 13/02/2008 : Hezbollah 'King of Terror' killed in Syria
- 13/02/2008 : Hezbollah leader killed in Syria blast
- 30/01/2008 : Winograd report: Lebanon war "serious" failure
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"WE MUST NOW LEARN HOW TO WORK TOGETHER"
Lebanon's President Sleiman speaks at the parliament 25/05
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GENERAL SLEIMAN: A PORTRAIT
Story: J.Jackson. 22/05
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CHRONOLOGY
A history of the "Party of God" (Report: M. MacCarthy) 09/05/08
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TOP STORY
30/11/07 A glimmer of hope in the election saga
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THE DEBATE
Lebanon: the impossible election? 21/11/07
Vidéo
Images
The parliament building in Beirut. Lebanese policemen secure the parliament building in Beirut as deputies arrive to attend a session to elect a new president, 23 November 2007.
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Photos
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An overview of Lebanon’s main political forces
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