resident and members of the National Assembly; the current
Cabinet was formed in 1998
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a six-year
term; election last held 15 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2004);
prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
in consultation with the National Assembly; by custom, the president
is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and
the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
election results: 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)
elections: last held in the summer of 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--NA
(one-half Christian and one-half Muslim)

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
constitutionality of laws; Supreme Council (hears charges against
the president and prime minister as needed)

Political parties and leaders: political party activity is
organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political
groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and
followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Farid ABBOUD
chancery: 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David SATTERFIELD
embassy: Antelias, Beirut
mailing address: P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut; PSC 815, Box 2, FPO AE
09836-0002

Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), white
(double width), and red with a gre