Beirut I

The four predominantly Christian neighborhoods of East Beirut (Achrafieh, Rmeil, Saifi, Medawar) make up this important constituency, which witnessed in the 2018 legislative elections the sole victory of civil society with the election of Paula Yacoubian to one of the eight seats — all Christian — in the constituency. The distribution of seats is as follows: three Armenian Orthodox, one Armenian Catholic, one Maronite, one Greek Orthodox, one Greek Catholic and one for Christian minorities (Syriacs, Latins, Chaldeans, etc.).

This part of the capital was devastated by the terrible tragedy of Aug. 4, 2020, which further distanced the inhabitants of these neighborhoods from the political powers in place. This part of the capital could therefore be more open to opposition candidates in May, especially since the vote threshold needed to win a seat, set by the electoral law in force, is the lowest in the country. But the Achrafieh-Rmeil-Saïfi area is also the historic stronghold of the traditional Christian parties, notably the Kataeb and the Lebanese Forces — the photo of Bashir Gemayel remains omnipresent there almost 40 years after his assassination, while the Tachnag, although present in all the neighborhoods, reigns supreme in Medawar, an Armenian stronghold if there is one.

In 2018, Gebran Bassil's Free Patriotic Movement was able to win two seats in this constituency for the first time, thanks to the new voting system. One of the major questions in the battle this year is whether he will be able to keep them.