eonic code, and civil law;
no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at
age 21 with elementary education

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emile LAHUD (since 24 November 1998)
head of government: Prime Minister Fuad SINIORA (since 30 June
2005); Deputy Prime Minister Elias MURR (since April 2005)
cabinet: Cabinet chosen by the prime minister in consultation with
the president and members of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term (may not serve consecutive terms); election last held 15
October 1998 (next to be held in 2007 based on three-year
extension); note - on 3 September 2004 the National Assembly voted
96 to 29 to extend Emile LAHUD's six-year term by three years; the
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
in consultation with the National Assembly; by agreement, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni
Muslim, and the speaker of the National Assembly is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: for 15 October 1998 election: Emile LAHUD elected
president; National Assembly vote - 118 votes in favor, 0 against,
10 abstentions

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Majlis Alnuwab (Arabic) or
Assemblee Nationale (French) (128 seats; members elected by popular
vote on the basis of sectarian proportional representation to serve
four-year terms); note - Nahib BERRI is the National Assembly
Speaker (since 1992)
elections: last held in four rounds on 29 May, 5, 12, 19 June 2005
(next to be held 2009)
election results: percent of vote by group - NA; seats by group (as
of December 2006) - Future Movement Bloc 36; Democratic Gathering
15; Development and Resistance Bloc 15; Loyalty to the Resistance
14; Free Patriotic Movement 15; Lebanese Forces 5; Qornet Shewan 6;
Popular Bloc 4; Tripoli Independent Bloc 3; Syrian National
Socialist Party 2; Kataeb Reform Movement 2; Tachnaq Party 2;
Democratic Renewal Movement 1; Democratic Left 1; Nasserite Popular
Movement 1; Ba'th Party 1; Kataeb Party 1; independent 4

Judicial branch:
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial
cases and one court for criminal cases); Constitutional Council
(called for in Ta'if Accord - rules on consti