2011 Lebanese protests

The 2011 Lebanese protests, also known as the Uprising of Dignity were seen as influenced by the Arab Spring. The main protests focused on calls for political reform especially against confessionalism in Lebanon. The protests initiated in early 2011, and dimmed by the end of the year. In another aspect of the Arab Spring, Lebanese pro and anti-Assad factions descended into sectarian violence, which culminated in May–June 2012.

Lebanon is a parliamentary republic within the overall framework of confessionalism, a form of consociationalism in which the highest offices are proportionately reserved for representatives from certain religious communities. The constitution grants the people the right to change their government, however, from the mid-1970s until the parliamentary elections in 1992, a civil war precluded the exercise of political rights. According to the constitution, direct elections must be held for the parliament every 4 years. The last parliamentary election was in 2018. The parliament, in turn, elects a president every 6 years to a single term, he is, however, not eligible for re-election. The last presidential election was in 2016. The president and parliament choose the prime minister. Political parties are grouped with either the March 8 alliance or the March 14 alliance. (the Progressive Socialist Party of Walid Jumblatt is ostensibly independent but strongly leans towards March 14 even after their withdrawal from the March 14 alliance due to political views towards Syria and Iran).

Lebanon demographics is roughly split amongst Sunnis, Shias and Christians (most of whom are Maronite). Due to the demographic concerns, amid fears the country could be a powder keg, a census has not been carried out since 1932. Since then the government has only published rough estimates of the population.

On 12 January 2011, the government collapsed after Energy Minister Gebran Bassil announced that all ten opposition ministers had resigned following months of warnings by Hezbollah that it would not remain inactive should there be indictments against the group by the Special Tribunal for Lebanon in the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafic Hariri. Preliminary indictments were issued 17 January as expected,) President Michel Suleiman's appointed Minister of State, Adnan Sayyed Hussein, resigned later bringing the total number of ministers who quit to 11 thus causing the fall of the government. The New York Times suggested that the resignations came after the collapse of talks between Syria and Saudi Arabia to ease tensions in Lebanon. The resignations stemmed from PM Hariri's refusal to call an emergency cabinet session over discussion for withdrawing cooperation with the STL.

Suleiman, who is constitutionally responsible for the formation of a new government, accepted the resignations.^{[citation needed]} The March 8 alliance then nominate Najib Mikati to form a government in line with the accepted norms that a prime minister must be a Sunni (even though most Sunnis are supporters of March 14).

On 13 June, a new government was formed.

The protests began on 27 February 2011, with hundreds of Lebanese citizens marching along the old demarcation line in Beirut, symbolizing their opposition to the country’s sectarian political structure. While the protests were initially small, they reflected a deep-seated frustration with Lebanon’s confessional system and political stagnation. Demonstrators called for the creation of a secular state that would abolish sectarian quotas and promote equal citizenship regardless of religious affiliation. A peaceful sit-in in Saida also took place.

By early March, the protests gained momentum. On 6 March, an estimated 8,000 protesters marched from Dora to Beirut, marking one of the largest anti-sectarian protests in Lebanon's history. The protesters marched from Dora, a district northeast of Beirut, to Martyrs' Square in central Beirut. Martyrs' Square is historically significant as the site of demonstrations during the 2005 Cedar Revolution, which had led to the withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. Demonstrators carried banners to "topple the sectarian regime" and the establishment of a secular state. Similar protests were held in other cities, including Baalbek and Sidon, demonstrating that the movement had widespread support across the country. At this stage, the protests were still largely peaceful, and there was hope among the demonstrators that their demands for political reform would be heard.