THE LEBANESE ELECTIONS

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP83-00423R000900490001-8
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: C
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: November 9, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 13, 1998
• Sequence Number: 1
• Publication Date: August 31, 1953
• Content Type: IRR

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DE; 1951 51-~a 25X1A2g
Officials Only
SECURITY INFORMA'
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
INFORMATION REPORT
PLACE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE ACQUIRED
(BY SOURCE)
DATE (OF INFO.) Early Aug 53 and earlier
IPROHIBITED BV LAW. THE REPR D CTIO OF THIS REPORT IS D.
JAN. 79-0, OF THE U.S. CODE. AS AM TS TRANSMISSION OR RERE-
CATION OF ITS CONTENTS TO OR RECEIPT BY A. LED PERSON IS
THIS IS UNEVALUATED INFORMATION
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1. The first reports which I have received of the Lebanese elections on 19 Jul 53
point out that, by-and-large, the result has been a victory for President Chamoun
in that a majority of the new 1I-k-man unicameral legislature consists of Chamoun's
supporters and therefore Christians.
2. This Chamoun legislative majority means that, for the first time, President Chamoun
can count upon the Lebanese legislature to cooperate with him on the policies of
his administration.
3. Heretofore the Lebanese legislature, or Parliament as it is called, consisted of
77 deputies. The majority of these deputies, while Christian, were nevertheless
supporters of the former regime of ex-President Beshara el Khoury. In fact, they
were largely responsible for Khoury's downfall and, following Chamoun's succession
to the Presidency, tended to oppose him and obstruct his programs from time to
time. For this reason, President Chamoun dissolved the Lebanese Parliament on
29 May 53 by a presidential decree, giving as his reason the fact that Parliament
failed to carry out properly its legislative duties. He then called the recent
elections in an effort more firmly to entrench himself and to elect deputies who
would be his supporters rather than supporters of ex-President Khoury. In this
undertaking, President Chamoun's principal support came from the Al-Kataeb Party,
the Christian Youth Organization in Lebanon.
II. The Al-Kataeb Party began as a group of Christian patriots who gave Lebanon its
independence but has now become more of a nationalist party because recently it
has begun to admit Mohammedans into its ranks.
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5. President Chamoun's principal reason for wishing a Christian majority in the
Lebanese Parliament is to forestall attempts to integrate Lebanon into the scheme
for a Greater Syria, and thus prevent a duplication of the Turkish rule and Turkish
oppression which Lebanese Christians have not forgotten.
6. I have not as yet received information as to whether the Cabinet of Lebanese Premier
$aeb Salaam is still continuing as the Government of Lebanon. The Cabinet was still
functioning during the elections, but the Premier had declared that he would not
accept nomination for office in the new Parliament. This Parliament, according to
a law which was passed before the old Parliament was dissolved, consists of 44
instead of the previous 77 deputies.
7. For the first time in the history of Lebanon, women were given the right to vote and
to run for office.
.
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