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Strong Lebanon

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Strong Lebanon
تكتل لبنان القوي
Legislature(s)Parliament of Lebanon
Foundation8 May 2018
Previous name(s)Change and Reform bloc
Member partiesFree Patriotic Movement
Tashnaq
PresidentGebran Bassil
Constituency
Representation
13 / 128 (10%)
IdeologyChristian democracy
Civic nationalism
Political positionGovernment

Strong Lebanon (Arabic: تكتل لبنان القوي) is the parliamentary bloc of the Free Patriotic Movement and their allies in the Lebanese Parliament. Headed by Gebran Bassil, it consisted of 29 deputies after the 2018 general election[1] and shrunk to 17 deputies after the 2022 Lebanese general election.[2]

Election summary

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Election Seats Change
2018
29 / 128 (23%)
New
2022
17 / 128 (13%)
Decrease 12

2018–2022 session deputies

[edit]
Name Election Area Political Affiliation Sect
Nicolas Sehnaoui Beirut I   FPM Greek Catholic
Antoine Pano Beirut I   FPM Minorities
Edgard Traboulsi Beirut II   FPM Evangelical
Assaad Dergham Akkar   FPM Greek Orthodox
Gebran Bassil Batroun   FPM Maronite
Georges Atallah Koura   FPM Greek Orthodox
Simon Abi Ramia Byblos   FPM Maronite
Roger Azar Keserwan   FPM Maronite
Ibrahim Kanaan Metn   FPM Maronite
Edy Maalouf Metn   FPM Greek Catholic
Alain Aoun Baabda   FPM Maronite
Hikmat Dib

Resigned from FPM on 1 March 2022

Baabda   FPM Maronite
Cesar Abi Khalil Aley   FPM Maronite
Mario Aoun Chouf   FPM Maronite
Farid Boustany Chouf   FPM Maronite
Salim Aoun Zahle   FPM Maronite
Ziad Assouad Jezzine   FPM Maronite
Salim Khoury Jezzine   FPM Greek Catholic
Elias Bou Saab Metn   Independent Greek Orthodox
Hagop Pakradounian Metn   Tashnaq Armenian Orthodox
Hagop Terzian Beirut I   Tashnaq Armenian Orthodox
Alexander Matousian Beirut I   Tashnaq Armenian Orthodox
Talal Arslan Aley   LDP Druze
Michel Moawad

Withdrew in October 2019

Zgharta   IM Maronite
Michel Daher

Withdrew in August 2020

Zahle   Independent Greek Catholic
Neemat Frem

Withdrew in October 2019

Keserwan   Independent Maronite
Chamel Roukoz

Withdrew in October 2019

Keserwan   Independent Maronite
Elie Ferzli

Expelled in April 2021

West Bekaa   Independent Greek Orthodox
Moustafa Hussein Akkar   Independent Alawite

Timeline

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17 out of 29 MP from the bloc voted for Nabih Berri in the 2018 Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament election.

Elie Ferzli was elected as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon.

At the beginning of the 17 October Revolution, Neemat Frem, Chamel Roukoz and Michel Moawad left the bloc.[3]

After the 2020 Beirut explosion, Michel Daher left the bloc.[4]

In April 2021, Elie Ferzli left the bloc.[5]

On 1 March 2022, MP Hikmat Dib resigned from FPM causing the bloc to shrink to 23 MP.[6]

2022–2026 session deputies

[edit]
Name Election Area Political Affiliation Sect
Nicolas Sehnaoui Beirut I   FPM Greek Catholic
Edgard Traboulsi Beirut II   FPM Evangelical
Jimmy Jabbour Akkar   FPM Maronite
Assaad Dergham Akkar   FPM Greek Orthodox
Gebran Bassil Batroun   FPM Maronite
Georges Atallah Koura   FPM Greek Orthodox
Simon Abi Ramia

Resigned from FPM on 7 August 2024

Byblos   FPM Maronite
Nada Boustani Khoury Keserwan   FPM Maronite
Ibrahim Kanaan

Resigned from FPM on 28 August 2024

Metn   FPM Maronite
Alain Aoun

Expelled from FPM on 2 August 2024

Baabda   FPM Maronite
Cesar Abi Khalil Aley   FPM Maronite
Ghassan Atallah Chouf   FPM Greek Catholic
Farid Boustany Chouf   FPM Maronite
Salim Aoun Zahle   FPM Maronite
Charbel Maroun West Bekaa   FPM Maronite
Samer Al Toum Baalback   FPM Greek Catholic
Elias Bou Saab

Expelled in April 2024

Metn   Independent Greek Orthodox
Hagop Pakradounian Metn   Tashnaq Armenian Orthodox
Hagop Terzian Beirut I   Tashnaq Armenian Orthodox
George Bouchikian

Expelled on 6 December 2022

Zahle   Tashnaq Armenian Orthodox
Mohamad Yehya Akkar   Independent Sunni

Timeline

[edit]

4 out of 21 MP from the bloc voted for Nabih Berri in the 2022 Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament election.[7]

Elias Bou Saab was elected as Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Lebanon.

On 23 June 2022, Tashnaq and Yehya named Najib Mikati as prime minister unlike the rest of the bloc.[8]

On 10 September 2022, Gebran Bassil kicked out ex-MP Ziad Assouad and ex-MP Mario Aoun.[9]

On 14 September 2022, FPM boycotted the parliament session due to Bachir Gemayel assassination memorial.[10] On 13 October 2022, FPM boycotted the presidential election session due to 13 October memorial.[11]

On 10 November 2022, Hagop Pakradounian criticized his colleague in the bloc Jimmy Jabbour for participating in a memorial to the martyrs of the Republic of Azerbaijan in Akkar.[12]

On 6 December 2022, Tashnaq kicked out MP Bouchikian which shrunk the Strong Lebanon bloc to 20.[13] Elias Bou Saab was reportedly kicked out of the Free Patriotic Movement bloc in April 2024 in which FPM sources cited political disagreements since the beginning of the 2022 parliament. Disagreements mostly include choice of presidential candidates and ideological differences.[14]

In August 2024, Alain Aoun was expelled from FPM for his lack of alignments with the parliamentary bloc, like refusing to vote for Jihad Azour in the 2022–2024 Lebanese presidential election.[15] On 7 August 2024, Simon Abi Ramia resigned from the Free Patriotic Movement citing "individualism" within the party and disagreements with its leader Gebran Bassil.[16] Ibrahim Kanaan resigned from the Free Patriotic Movement on August 14, 2024 [17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "tayyar.org - FPM - Parliamentary Bloc" (in Arabic).
  2. ^ "تكتل لبنان القوي ٢١ نائبا".
  3. ^ "معوض ينشقّ عن "لبنان القوّي"".
  4. ^ "النائب ميشال ضاهر أعلن إنسحابه من تكتل "لبنان القوي"".
  5. ^ "الفرزلي: انسحبت من تكتل لبنان القوي".
  6. ^ "حكمت ديب قدم استقالته من "الوطني الحر"".
  7. ^ "نبيه بري نال فقط 4 أصوات من تكتل لبنان القويّ".
  8. ^ "Timour Azhari - twitter".
  9. ^ "Lebanon: Purge Targets Bassil's Rivals within FPM".
  10. ^ "Christian MPs boycotted the session to commemorate former President Bachir Gemayel's 40th assassination anniversary".
  11. ^ "Berri adjourns presidential election session as FPM, Hezbollah boycott".
  12. ^ "Hagop Pakradounian on twitter".
  13. ^ "فصل النائب بوشيكيان عن كتلة نواب الأرمن".
  14. ^ "Lebanon: Bassil Eliminates Bou Saab from FPM after Differences over Presidency Issues". english.aawsat.com. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  15. ^ "Free Patriotic Movement dismisses Alain Aoun". L'Orient-Le Jour. 2 August 2024.
  16. ^ "MP Simon Abi Ramia left the Free Patriotic Movement". L'Orient-Le Jour. 7 August 2024.
  17. ^ "MP Ibrahim Kanaan resigns from Free Patriotic Movement". Naharnet. Retrieved October 7, 2024.