The presidency in the Lebanese regime during the era of the French Mandate 1926-1943

Abstract

The research addressed the presidency in the Lebanese system during the French mandate. It covers the stages of the establishment of the republic, following the declaration of the State of Greater Lebanon, the call for representative council elections, the convening of the council to draft Lebanon’s constitution, the transformation of the council into a constituent assembly, and the transition of the State of Greater Lebanon into the Lebanese Republic and the election of the President.
The election of the President of the Republic in Lebanon has a special and unique character due to several considerations, some related to the position of the presidency in the various phases of the Lebanese constitutional system, and others linked to regional and international situations and various internal local issues in Lebanon.
In general, the election of the President of the Lebanese Republic is not related to the candidate’s program. This means that the majority of presidents during the French mandate who succeeded to the presidency in Lebanon did not reach the position due to their political, economic, or social projects. Instead, they were nominated by the French High Commissioner and elected by the Lebanese Parliament based on Article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, which states: "The President of the Republic is elected by secret ballot by a two-thirds majority of the Parliament in the first round, and an absolute majority in subsequent rounds." This article is compared to Article 2 of the French Constitution issued on February 25, 1875, which is almost literally copied from it.
Keywords: Presidency – Mandate – Lebanon.