Lebanese Communist Party
Encyclopedia
The Lebanese Communist Party – LCP (Arabic
: الـحـزب الشـيـوعـي اللبـنـانـي | Hizb ash-shuy‘uī al-lubnānī) or Parti communiste libanais (PCL) in French
, is a communist political party
in Lebanon
. It was founded in 1924 by the Lebanese intellectual, writer and reporter Youssef Ibrahim Yazbek and Fou'ad al-Shmeli, a tobacco worker from Bikfaya
.
town of Hadath, south of Beirut
. The first meeting was made up of union workers, who formed independent unions for the first time in Lebanon (Previously, labor unions were controlled by the French). The meeting was also attended by scholars, academics, writers and journalists who were active in promoting the ideas of the French Revolution
, and who were familiar with the writings of Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels
. The party was founded to cover the area held under the French mandate, which is now Syria
and Lebanon. Initially, the party's name was "Lebanese People Party", in an attempt to evade the French ban on "Bolshevik
" activities.
The party was declared illegal at first, but the ban was relaxed during World War II
. For about twenty years, the LCP organized communist political activities in both Lebanon and Syria, but in 1944 the party was split into the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Communist Party
.
. The LCP ran for election again in 1947, but all of its candidates were defeated and the party was outlawed in 1948. During the 1950s, the party's inconsistent policies on Pan-Arabism
and the Nasserite movement
cost it support and eventually isolated it. The party was active against the government during the 1958 uprising
. In 1965, the LCP decided to end its isolation and became a member of the Front for Progressive Parties and National Forces, which later evolved into the Lebanese National Movement
(LNM) under Druze
leftist leader Kamal Jumblatt
. In the mid-1960s, the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 3000.
The 1970s witnessed something of a resurgence of the LCP. In 1970, Kamal Jumblatt, as Minister of the Interior, legalized the party. This allowed many LCP leaders, including Secretary General Nicola Shawi, to run for election in 1972. Although they polled several thousand votes, none of them succeeded in gaining a seat.
, which participated actively in the fighting at the start of the Lebanese Civil War
). The LCP was aligned with the mostly-Muslim
LNM-Palestinian coalition, despite its mainly Christian
membership, particularly Greek Orthodox and Armenian
) Christians.
Throughout the 1980s, the LCP generally declined in influence. In 1983, the Tripoli
-based Sunni Islamic
movement, Islamic Unification Movement (Tawhid)
, reportedly executed fifty Communists. In 1987, together with the Druze Progressive Socialist Party
, the LCP fought a week-long battle with the Shi'a militants of the Amal
in West Beirut
, a conflict that was stopped by Syria
n troops.
Also in 1987, the LCP held its Fifth Party Congress and was about to oust George Hawi
, its Greek Orthodox
leader, in favor of Karim Mroue, a Shi'a, as Secretary General. Syrian pressure, however, kept Hawi in his position. Hawi, who had been a close ally of Damascus
, was reportedly unpopular for his lavish life-style and for spending more time in Syria than in Lebanon. Mroue was probably the most powerful member of the LCP and was on good terms with Shi'a groups in West Beirut. Nevertheless, between 1984 and 1987 many party leaders and members were assassinated, reportedly by Islamic fundamentalists.
, initially made up of just 600-700 poorly-armed militiamen in 1975. By mid-1976, however, the Popular Guards’ ranks had swelled to some 5,000 men and women, this total comprising 2,000-2,500 full-time fighters and 2,500-3,000 irregulars, mostly drawn from its youth branch organization, the Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
, which was established in early 1970. The PG was trained by the Palestinian
Fatah
and were provided with soviet-made small-arms, as well as armed jeeps and gun-trucks (Land Rover
, Toyota Land Cruiser, GMC
, GAZ-66
) equipped with heavy machine guns, anti-aircraft autocannons and recoilless rifles supplied by the PLO, Syria
, and the USSR. The Party’s militia was initially headed by George Hawi
(nom de guerre ‘Abu Anis’), but in 1979 PG command was passed on to Elias Atallah
, a Maronite. Although it was active mostly in West Beirut and Tripoli
, the LCP/PG also kept underground cells at the Sidon
, Tyre
and Nabatiyeh districts of the Jabal Amel
region of southern Lebanon.
, who was elected in the 9th Congress in December 2003. Saadallah Mazraani
, who was Vice General Secretary under Dahrouj, remained in the same position under Hadadi
.
in several regions but did not win any seats. In South Lebanon, Vice General Secretary Saadallah Mazraani acquired 8886 votes in the second district, and Anwar Yassin
, a former detainee in Israel, received 18244 votes in the first district. Former General Secretary Farouq Dahrouj obtained 10688 votes in the Bekaa third district.
In the 2009 legislative elections
, the LCP ran independently with candidates in five districts and failed to win any seats. In a formally issued statement, the LCP commented that “the 2009 elections widened the gap already existing because of the sectarian system,” and, while expressing dismay towards its dismal electoral showing, analyzed and attempted to justify its performance.
, a former secretary general of the LCP, was killed in a car bombing in Beirut
. Hawi, a recent critic of Syria, claimed a few days before his death that Rifaat al-Assad
, uncle of Bashar al-Assad
, Syria's current President, masterminded the 1977 assassination of Lebanese opposition leader Kamal Jumblatt
. Allies of Hawi accused pro-Syrian forces in the Lebanese-security apparatus for the assassination. Emile Lahoud
, then president of Lebanon, and the Syrian government denied this allegation. Foreign governments, including the White House
, strongly condemned the killing.
The bombing occurred two days after Lebanon's 2005 elections
ushered in an anti-Syrian majority
in parliament
and less than one month after Samir Kassir
, a left-wing Lebanese journalist and political figure, was assassinated in a bombing.
, but its strength is greatest in South Lebanon. This structure gives the party a national presence, but at the same time weakens its representation in the local and central governmental bodies including municipalities
and parliament
. The party, as other traditional communist parties, operates through several popular organizations to recruit and spread its political message. These organizations include the Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
(youth organization), The Committee of Woman's Rights (Women's organization), The Popular Aid (Health organization) and The General Union of Workers and Employees in Lebanon (labor union).
The smallest organizational structure is a branch, usually found in a town or village. Several branches belong to a Regional Committee (usually made up of 5-10 branches), then every few regional committees belong to a Governorate
(Mohafaza). The party has now an estimated membership of around 5000 members.
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
: الـحـزب الشـيـوعـي اللبـنـانـي | Hizb ash-shuy‘uī al-lubnānī) or Parti communiste libanais (PCL) in French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, is a communist political party
Political party
A political party is a political organization that typically seeks to influence government policy, usually by nominating their own candidates and trying to seat them in political office. Parties participate in electoral campaigns, educational outreach or protest actions...
in Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
. It was founded in 1924 by the Lebanese intellectual, writer and reporter Youssef Ibrahim Yazbek and Fou'ad al-Shmeli, a tobacco worker from Bikfaya
Bikfaya
Bikfaya is a town in the Matn District region of Mount Lebanon. Its stone houses with red-tiled roofs resting amidst pine and oak forests make Bikfaya one of the most sought-after suburbs of Beirut and one of Lebanon's most popular summer resorts.-Culture:...
.
Creation
The Lebanese Communist Party was officially founded on October 24, 1924, in the LebaneseLebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...
town of Hadath, south of Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. The first meeting was made up of union workers, who formed independent unions for the first time in Lebanon (Previously, labor unions were controlled by the French). The meeting was also attended by scholars, academics, writers and journalists who were active in promoting the ideas of the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
, and who were familiar with the writings of Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
. The party was founded to cover the area held under the French mandate, which is now Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
and Lebanon. Initially, the party's name was "Lebanese People Party", in an attempt to evade the French ban on "Bolshevik
Bolshevik
The Bolsheviks, originally also Bolshevists , derived from bol'shinstvo, "majority") were a faction of the Marxist Russian Social Democratic Labour Party which split apart from the Menshevik faction at the Second Party Congress in 1903....
" activities.
The party was declared illegal at first, but the ban was relaxed during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. For about twenty years, the LCP organized communist political activities in both Lebanon and Syria, but in 1944 the party was split into the Lebanese Communist Party and the Syrian Communist Party
Syrian Communist Party
The Syrian Communist Party was a political party in Syria, founded in 1944. It became a member of the National Progressive Front in 1972...
.
Post-independence activities
During the first two decades of Lebanon's independence, the LCP enjoyed little success. In 1943, the party participated in the legislative elections, but failed to win any seats in the Chamber of DeputiesParliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
. The LCP ran for election again in 1947, but all of its candidates were defeated and the party was outlawed in 1948. During the 1950s, the party's inconsistent policies on Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism
Pan-Arabism is an ideology espousing the unification--or, sometimes, close cooperation and solidarity against perceived enemies of the Arabs--of the countries of the Arab world, from the Atlantic Ocean to the Arabian Sea. It is closely connected to Arab nationalism, which asserts that the Arabs...
and the Nasserite movement
Nasserism
Nasserism is an Arab nationalist political ideology based on the thinking of the former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser. It was a major influence on pan-Arab politics in the 1950s and 1960s, and continues to have significant resonance throughout the Arab World to this day. It also...
cost it support and eventually isolated it. The party was active against the government during the 1958 uprising
Lebanon crisis of 1958
The 1958 Lebanon crisis was a Lebanese political crisis caused by political and religious tensions in the country. It included a U.S. military intervention.-Background:...
. In 1965, the LCP decided to end its isolation and became a member of the Front for Progressive Parties and National Forces, which later evolved into the Lebanese National Movement
Lebanese National Movement
The Lebanese National Movement or Mouvement National Libanais in French, was a front of parties and organizations active during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War...
(LNM) under Druze
Druze
The Druze are an esoteric, monotheistic religious community, found primarily in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan, which emerged during the 11th century from Ismailism. The Druze have an eclectic set of beliefs that incorporate several elements from Abrahamic religions, Gnosticism, Neoplatonism...
leftist leader Kamal Jumblatt
Kamal Jumblatt
Kamal Jumblatt ; was an important Lebanese politician. He was the main leader of the anti-government forces in the Lebanese Civil War until his assassination in 1977. He is the father of the present Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.-Family background and education:Kamal Jumblatt was born in...
. In the mid-1960s, the U.S. State Department estimated the party membership to be approximately 3000.
The 1970s witnessed something of a resurgence of the LCP. In 1970, Kamal Jumblatt, as Minister of the Interior, legalized the party. This allowed many LCP leaders, including Secretary General Nicola Shawi, to run for election in 1972. Although they polled several thousand votes, none of them succeeded in gaining a seat.
The LCP during the Civil War
During the early 1970s, the LCP established a well-trained militia, the Popular GuardPopular Guard
The Popular Guard or PG , Garde Populaires in French were the military wing of the Lebanese Communist Party, from 1969...
, which participated actively in the fighting at the start of the Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
). The LCP was aligned with the mostly-Muslim
Muslim
A Muslim, also spelled Moslem, is an adherent of Islam, a monotheistic, Abrahamic religion based on the Quran, which Muslims consider the verbatim word of God as revealed to prophet Muhammad. "Muslim" is the Arabic term for "submitter" .Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable...
LNM-Palestinian coalition, despite its mainly Christian
Christian
A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
membership, particularly Greek Orthodox and Armenian
Armenian Apostolic Church
The Armenian Apostolic Church is the world's oldest National Church, is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, and is one of the most ancient Christian communities. Armenia was the first country to adopt Christianity as its official religion in 301 AD, in establishing this church...
) Christians.
Throughout the 1980s, the LCP generally declined in influence. In 1983, the Tripoli
Tripoli, Lebanon
Tripoli is the largest city in northern Lebanon and the second-largest city in Lebanon. Situated 85 km north of the capital Beirut, Tripoli is the capital of the North Governorate and the Tripoli District. Geographically located on the east of the Mediterranean, the city's history dates back...
-based Sunni Islamic
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
movement, Islamic Unification Movement (Tawhid)
Islamic Unification Movement
The Islamic Unification Movement – IUM , also named Islamic Unity Movement or Mouvement de Unification Islamique in French, but best known as ‘Al-Tawhid’, ‘At-Tawhid’, or ‘Tawheed’, is a Lebanese Sunni Muslim fundamentalist political party...
, reportedly executed fifty Communists. In 1987, together with the Druze Progressive Socialist Party
Progressive Socialist Party
The Progressive Socialist Party or PSP , also known as Parti Socialiste Progressiste in French, is a political party in Lebanon. Its current leader is Walid Jumblatt...
, the LCP fought a week-long battle with the Shi'a militants of the Amal
Amal Movement
Amal Movement is short for the Lebanese Resistance Detachments the acronym for which, in Arabic, is "amal", meaning "hope."Amal was founded in 1975 as the militia wing of the Movement of the Disinherited, a Shi'a political movement founded by Musa...
in West Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
, a conflict that was stopped by Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
n troops.
Also in 1987, the LCP held its Fifth Party Congress and was about to oust George Hawi
George Hawi
George Hawi was a Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party . He was assassinated in 2005.-Background:...
, its Greek Orthodox
Greek Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church is the body of several churches within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity sharing a common cultural tradition whose liturgy is also traditionally conducted in Koine Greek, the original language of the New Testament...
leader, in favor of Karim Mroue, a Shi'a, as Secretary General. Syrian pressure, however, kept Hawi in his position. Hawi, who had been a close ally of Damascus
Damascus
Damascus , commonly known in Syria as Al Sham , and as the City of Jasmine , is the capital and the second largest city of Syria after Aleppo, both are part of the country's 14 governorates. In addition to being one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, Damascus is a major...
, was reportedly unpopular for his lavish life-style and for spending more time in Syria than in Lebanon. Mroue was probably the most powerful member of the LCP and was on good terms with Shi'a groups in West Beirut. Nevertheless, between 1984 and 1987 many party leaders and members were assassinated, reportedly by Islamic fundamentalists.
Military organization
The LCP had its own military wing, the Popular Guard – PG (Arabic: Hurras al-Sha’aby) or Garde Populaire in FrenchFrench language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
, initially made up of just 600-700 poorly-armed militiamen in 1975. By mid-1976, however, the Popular Guards’ ranks had swelled to some 5,000 men and women, this total comprising 2,000-2,500 full-time fighters and 2,500-3,000 irregulars, mostly drawn from its youth branch organization, the Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth also known as UJDL, the French abbreviation of "Union de la Jeunesse Démocratique Libanais".It is a Lebanese leftist secular democratic youth organization as it defines itself in its documents....
, which was established in early 1970. The PG was trained by the Palestinian
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
Fatah
Fatah
Fataḥ is a major Palestinian political party and the largest faction of the Palestine Liberation Organization , a multi-party confederation. In Palestinian politics it is on the left-wing of the spectrum; it is mainly nationalist, although not predominantly socialist. Its official goals are found...
and were provided with soviet-made small-arms, as well as armed jeeps and gun-trucks (Land Rover
Land Rover
Land Rover is a British car manufacturer with its headquarters in Gaydon, Warwickshire, United Kingdom which specialises in four-wheel-drive vehicles. It is owned by the Indian company Tata Motors, forming part of their Jaguar Land Rover group...
, Toyota Land Cruiser, GMC
GMC
GMC may refer to:* Ganglion mother cell, a cell in the developing nervous system that divides once to produce two neurons* General motion control, a field of motion control concerned with single- and multi-axis motion controllers, intelligent drives, servo and stepper motors* Generalized Method of...
, GAZ-66
GAZ-66
The GAZ-66 is a Russian 4x4 all-road military truck produced by GAZ. It was the main transport vehicle for motorized infantry of the Soviet Army and is still employed in former Soviet Union countries...
) equipped with heavy machine guns, anti-aircraft autocannons and recoilless rifles supplied by the PLO, Syria
Syria
Syria , officially the Syrian Arab Republic , is a country in Western Asia, bordering Lebanon and the Mediterranean Sea to the West, Turkey to the north, Iraq to the east, Jordan to the south, and Israel to the southwest....
, and the USSR. The Party’s militia was initially headed by George Hawi
George Hawi
George Hawi was a Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party . He was assassinated in 2005.-Background:...
(nom de guerre ‘Abu Anis’), but in 1979 PG command was passed on to Elias Atallah
Elias Atallah
Elias Atallah born in 1947, is a Lebanese politician, and an elected member of parliament during the 2005 elections. He is also the chairperson of the Democratic Left Movement, and a prominent member in the March 14 Alliance...
, a Maronite. Although it was active mostly in West Beirut and Tripoli
Tripoli
Tripoli is the capital and largest city in Libya. It is also known as Western Tripoli , to distinguish it from Tripoli, Lebanon. It is affectionately called The Mermaid of the Mediterranean , describing its turquoise waters and its whitewashed buildings. Tripoli is a Greek name that means "Three...
, the LCP/PG also kept underground cells at the Sidon
Sidon
Sidon or Saïda is the third-largest city in Lebanon. It is located in the South Governorate of Lebanon, on the Mediterranean coast, about 40 km north of Tyre and 40 km south of the capital Beirut. In Genesis, Sidon is the son of Canaan the grandson of Noah...
, Tyre
Tyre District
-Phoenician era:Tyre was a major port in Phoenician times. It grew wealthy from its far-reaching colonies and industries of purple-dyed textiles. This attracted the attention of conquerors among them the Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Great....
and Nabatiyeh districts of the Jabal Amel
Jabal Amel
Jabal Amel or Amil is a mountainous region of Southern Lebanon.The region is named after the Banu 'Amilah, a Yemenite tribe who, along with the kindred tribes of Hamadan, Lakhm, and Judham, settled in Syria, Palestine, parts of Jordan, and Lebanon. The area was known in ancient times as Jabal...
region of southern Lebanon.
After the Lebanese Civil war
The end of the Lebanese civil war was in sync with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Two back-to-back congresses saw the exit of Hawi, Mrouwweh and other prominent leaders of the party, which left it in a major crisis. The congresses witnessed the election of Farouq Dahrouj as the new secretary general of the party. Hawi returned to the party as head of its national council (formerly the central committee), but later abdicated in the 1998 8th congress, which saw the second election of Dahrouj as secretary general. The party is now led by Dr. Khaled HadadiKhaled Hadadi
Khaled Hadadi is the current General-Secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party since December 2003. He was born in the city of Barja in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon in 1956. He studied Physics at the Lebanese University and graduated with a B.S in 1979 before pursuing a PhD in France in 1984...
, who was elected in the 9th Congress in December 2003. Saadallah Mazraani
Saadallah Mazraani
Saadallah Mazraani is the Vice General Secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party since its 8th congress in 1998. He was nominated for parliamentary elections for several times in South Lebanon and scored a considerable amount of votes every time he ran, but never succeeded in wining a...
, who was Vice General Secretary under Dahrouj, remained in the same position under Hadadi
Khaled Hadadi
Khaled Hadadi is the current General-Secretary of the Lebanese Communist Party since December 2003. He was born in the city of Barja in Mount Lebanon, Lebanon in 1956. He studied Physics at the Lebanese University and graduated with a B.S in 1979 before pursuing a PhD in France in 1984...
.
Electoral Results
The party participated in the 2005 parliamentary electionsLebanese general election, 2005
The 2005 Lebanese General Elections were the first elections in thirty years without a Syrian military or intelligence presence in Lebanon. These elections were the first in Lebanese history to be won outright by a single electoral block and were also the first to be monitored by the United...
in several regions but did not win any seats. In South Lebanon, Vice General Secretary Saadallah Mazraani acquired 8886 votes in the second district, and Anwar Yassin
Anwar Yassin
Anwar Yassin is a former Lebanese detainee in Israeli prisons. He was a militant in Jammoul, the military front of the Lebanese Communist Party, since his early youth in the mid 1980s...
, a former detainee in Israel, received 18244 votes in the first district. Former General Secretary Farouq Dahrouj obtained 10688 votes in the Bekaa third district.
In the 2009 legislative elections
Lebanese general election, 2009
-Background:Prior to the election, the process to lower the voting age from 21 to 18 years was put into motion, but as this requires a constitutional amendment, it did not happen before the election.- Allocation of seats :...
, the LCP ran independently with candidates in five districts and failed to win any seats. In a formally issued statement, the LCP commented that “the 2009 elections widened the gap already existing because of the sectarian system,” and, while expressing dismay towards its dismal electoral showing, analyzed and attempted to justify its performance.
Hawi assassination
On June 21, 2005, George HawiGeorge Hawi
George Hawi was a Lebanese politician and former secretary general of the Lebanese Communist Party . He was assassinated in 2005.-Background:...
, a former secretary general of the LCP, was killed in a car bombing in Beirut
Beirut
Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...
. Hawi, a recent critic of Syria, claimed a few days before his death that Rifaat al-Assad
Rifaat al-Assad
Rifaat al-Assad is the younger brother of the former President of Syria, Hafez al-Assad, and the uncle of the current President Bashar al-Assad, all of whom come from the minority Alawite Muslim sect. He was born in the village of Qardaha, near Lattakia in western Syria. He is perhaps best known...
, uncle of Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad
Bashar al-Assad is the President of Syria and Regional Secretary of the Ba'ath Party. His father Hafez al-Assad ruled Syria for 29 years until his death in 2000. Al-Assad was elected in 2000, re-elected in 2007, unopposed each time.- Early Life :...
, Syria's current President, masterminded the 1977 assassination of Lebanese opposition leader Kamal Jumblatt
Kamal Jumblatt
Kamal Jumblatt ; was an important Lebanese politician. He was the main leader of the anti-government forces in the Lebanese Civil War until his assassination in 1977. He is the father of the present Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt.-Family background and education:Kamal Jumblatt was born in...
. Allies of Hawi accused pro-Syrian forces in the Lebanese-security apparatus for the assassination. Emile Lahoud
Émile Lahoud
General Émile Jamil Lahoud is a former President of Lebanon. Lahoud is a Maronite-Catholic, as is required for the Lebanese presidency. Under Lebanon's unwritten constitutional agreement, the National Pact, the presidency is earmarked for Maronite_Catholic, the parliament speaker's post for a Shia...
, then president of Lebanon, and the Syrian government denied this allegation. Foreign governments, including the White House
White House
The White House is the official residence and principal workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., the house was designed by Irish-born James Hoban, and built between 1792 and 1800 of white-painted Aquia sandstone in the Neoclassical...
, strongly condemned the killing.
The bombing occurred two days after Lebanon's 2005 elections
Lebanese general election, 2005
The 2005 Lebanese General Elections were the first elections in thirty years without a Syrian military or intelligence presence in Lebanon. These elections were the first in Lebanese history to be won outright by a single electoral block and were also the first to be monitored by the United...
ushered in an anti-Syrian majority
March 14 Alliance
The March 14 alliance , named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon that call for sovereignty over all Lebanese territories, led by MP Saad Hariri, younger son of Rafik Hariri, the assassinated former prime minister of Lebanon, as...
in parliament
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
and less than one month after Samir Kassir
Samir Kassir
Samir Kassir was a Lebanese professor of history at Saint-Joseph University and journalist. Born to a Palestinian father and a Syrian mother, Kassir received his degree in philosophy and political philosophy in 1984, in 1990, Kassir earned his PhD in Modern History also from the University of...
, a left-wing Lebanese journalist and political figure, was assassinated in a bombing.
Political organization
The Lebanese Communist Party is one of the few Lebanese parties that have affiliations throughout different sects and regions. It is present in most Lebanese districtsDistricts of Lebanon
The governorates of Lebanon are divided into 25 districts . The Beirut Governorate is not subdivided. Beirut Governorate*BeirutMount Lebanon Governorate*Baabda...
, but its strength is greatest in South Lebanon. This structure gives the party a national presence, but at the same time weakens its representation in the local and central governmental bodies including municipalities
Municipalities of Lebanon
||The districts of Lebanon are divided into municipalities.*Akkar District||The districts of Lebanon are divided into municipalities.*Akkar District||The districts of Lebanon are divided into municipalities.*Akkar District:Abboudieh...
and parliament
Parliament of Lebanon
The Parliament of Lebanon is the national parliament of Lebanon. There are 128 members elected to a four-year terms in multi-member constituencies, apportioned among Lebanon's diverse Christian and Muslim denominations. Lebanon has universal adult suffrage...
. The party, as other traditional communist parties, operates through several popular organizations to recruit and spread its political message. These organizations include the Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth
Union of Lebanese Democratic Youth also known as UJDL, the French abbreviation of "Union de la Jeunesse Démocratique Libanais".It is a Lebanese leftist secular democratic youth organization as it defines itself in its documents....
(youth organization), The Committee of Woman's Rights (Women's organization), The Popular Aid (Health organization) and The General Union of Workers and Employees in Lebanon (labor union).
The smallest organizational structure is a branch, usually found in a town or village. Several branches belong to a Regional Committee (usually made up of 5-10 branches), then every few regional committees belong to a Governorate
Governorate
A governorate is an administrative division of a country. It is headed by a governor. As English-speaking nations tend to call regions administered by governors either states, provinces, or colonies, the term governorate is often used in translation from non-English-speaking administrations.The...
(Mohafaza). The party has now an estimated membership of around 5000 members.
See also
- Al-Murabitoun
- Lebanese Civil WarLebanese Civil WarThe Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...
- Lebanese National MovementLebanese National MovementThe Lebanese National Movement or Mouvement National Libanais in French, was a front of parties and organizations active during the early years of the Lebanese Civil War...
- Lebanese National Salvation Front
- Progressive Socialist PartyProgressive Socialist PartyThe Progressive Socialist Party or PSP , also known as Parti Socialiste Progressiste in French, is a political party in Lebanon. Its current leader is Walid Jumblatt...