Lebanese Arab Congress

The Lebanese Arab Congress (Arabic: المؤتمر العربي اللبناني al-mu’tamr al-‘arabī al-lubnānī) is the unicameral legislative assembly of the Lebanese Arab Republic, of the 20 republics (federated states) of the Arab Union. It meets at the Beirut Parliament House. The Lebanese Arab Congress functions as the lawmaking and deliberative body of Lebanon at the level of the republic, and is empowered to create and abolish all legislation except criminal law, which is under the exlusive jurisdiction of the Arab Congress (the federal legislature of the Arab Union).

In addition to deliberating upon and passing or repealing legislation, the Lebanese Arab Congress is also responsible for choosing Lebanon's executive leadership, namely the Governor of Lebanon, who in turn appoints the Governorate of Lebanon. The Lebanese Arab Congress consists of 128 seats, each of which represents a particular electoral district with a population of roughly 64,000. All eligibile voters in each district cast a vote for the candidate of their choice running in their district; while some sitting deputies (members of congress) are independents, the majority belong to a particular political party. Following a congressional election, which takes place every three years, the political party or coalition holding the most seats in congress (usually a plurality, but a majority in the event of other major parties forming a coalition) are eligibile to form the executive government.

The eligible party or coalition nominates a member (typically its leader or another senior member) as Governor of Lebanon, who is subsequently ceremonially appointed by the President of the Arab Union. The Governor of Lebanon must maintain the confidence of the Lebanese Arab Congress to remain in office, and can be removed from office and his government dissolved via a vote of no confidence.