In the summer of 1943, the National Pact of Lebanon was founded by President Bechara El Khoury and Prime Minister Riad Al Solh. The two leaders created the pact with the primary objective of designating that the country's President would always be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister would be a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of Parliament would be a Shia Muslim (https://www.britannica.com/event/Lebanese-National-Pact-1943).

That being said, parliamentary seats and government positions were also given according to religious quotas, which were based on the census of 1932, which recorded a narrow Christian population majority of 53% to 56%. In parliament, a 6-to-5 ratio was set in place so Christians were favored over Muslims (https://www.omnesmag.com/en/news/the-mosaic-liban/).

Furthermore, the pact has allowed Lebanon to be an independent nation while maintaining the balance of power embedded within religious communities. Through the unification of Christians, led by Maronites, and Muslims, led by Sunnis, the agreement bridged the two communities and agreed that Lebanon could not seek French protection or Western colonization, as well as not to merge into a larger Arab or Syrian state (https://www.britannica.com/place/Lebanon/Lebanon-after-independence).

Also, the significance lies in the heavy attempt to prevent power dominance, but allude to a shared power structure. Yet, the legacy the pact leaves is mixed. While it has helped prevent conflict over time, the limitations have been exposed by demographic changes and political crises. Overall, despite these issues, Lebanon’s National Pact continues to shape its government and political structures.