MONGABAY.COM
Mongabay.com seeks to raise interest in and appreciation of wild lands and wildlife, while examining the impact of emerging trends in climate, technology, economics, and finance on conservation and development (more)
WEEKLY NEWSLETTER
|
|
Lebanon
Index
Established in 1958 by Camille Shamun after he left the
presidency, the National Liberal Party (NLP) was a predominantly
Maronite organization, although it had some non-Maronites and nonChristians in its leadership. More or less a political vehicle for
Shamun, perhaps the most charismatic of all Christian leaders, the
NLP lacked a coherent ideology or program. Although the NLP never
matched the organizational efficiency of the Phalange Party, they
shared many views, including favoring a free-market economy,
anticommunism, close association with the West, and, most
important, the continuation of Christian political advantage. In
the early 1970s, the NLP claimed 60,000 to 70,000 members and
controlled as many as 11 seats in the Chamber of Deputies, and
Shamun had occupied several ministerial posts after his term as
president.
During the 1975 Civil War, the NLP and its militia, the Tigers
(Namur in Arabic), participated in the Lebanese Front, and Shamun,
who was driven from his home district in the Shuf Mountains, was an
active leader in the alliance. When, in July 1980, Bashir Jumayyil
launched a surprise attack, defeating the Tigers, the political and
military significance of the NLP declined. The party again suffered
a severe setback in August 1987 when Shamun died. His son Dani
assumed the chairmanship of the party, which still harbored hopes
for the presidential election scheduled for 1988.
Data as of December 1987
|
|
