March 14 Alliance

March 14 Alliance
Leader Saad Hariri
General Secretary Fares Souhaid
Founded 2005 (2005)
Headquarters Beirut
Newspaper An-Nahar
Ideology Big tent
Seats in the Parliament of Lebanon:
60 / 128
Website
14march.org
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The March 14 Alliance (Arabic: تحالف 14 آذار Taḥāluf 14 Adhār), named after the date of the Cedar Revolution, is a coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their anti-Syrian regime stance and their opposition to the March 8 Alliance. It is led by Saad Hariri, second son of Rafic Hariri, as well as other prominent figures.

Parties that left the alliance

The Free Patriotic Movement of General Michel Aoun left the informal grouping before the 2005 general election, before March 14 was an established alliance, due to major disagreements. After the 2005 elections, The Free Patriotic Movement was alone in the opposition, but was joined one year later by the pro-Syrian government March 8 Alliance in November 2006.

The Progressive Socialist Party left the 14 March movement in August 2011.

Foreign Alliances

While the 14th of March Alliance accuses the 8th of March Alliance of being proxies of the respective regimes of Iran and Syria, likewise, the 14 of March Coalition is accused of being a puppet alliance guided by the American administration and funded by the Saudi government.

2006 Lebanon War

On the 12th of July 2006, the 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Hezbollah started. During the war, the 14 of March Coalition took a stance against Hezbollah accusing the armed party of causing the war on Lebanon. However, Hezbollah claimed that Israel preplanned such a war, supposed to be waged on September during the annual rally Hezbollah holds on the International Qods (Jerusalem) Day.

The 14th of March coalition, amidst the war, urged Hezbollah to hand over their weapons, accusing the party of causing the war on Lebanon.

During the first few days of the war, former US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice visited Beirut and held a meeting with the 14th of March coalition and declared afterwards that a new Middle East will be born after this war, saying: "It's time for a new Middle East". Rice and Fouad Siniora met during her visit to Lebanon.

Claims

The principal political claims of the March 14 Alliance are:

Member parties

Party Arabic name Ideology Major demographic base Seats in Parliament (after 2009 election)
Independence Movement Harakat el Istiklel
حركة الإسنقلال
Conservatism
Lebanese nationalism
Maronite Christian 0
Future Movement Tayyar Al Mustaqbal
تيار المستقبل
Conservative liberalism Sunni Muslim 26
Lebanese Forces al-quwāt al-lubnāniyah
القوات اللبنانية
Christian democracy
Lebanese nationalism
Maronite Christian 8
Kataeb Party al-Kataeb al-Lubnāniyya
حزب الكتائب اللبنانية
Lebanese nationalism
National conservatism
Maronite Christian 5
Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Hizb al-Henchag
حزب الهنشاق
(حزب الهنشاق الديمقراطي الإجتماعي)
Social democracy Armenian 2
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Hizb al-Ramgavar
حزب الرمغفار
(الحزب الديمقراطي الليبرالي الأرمني)
Liberalism Armenian 1
National Liberal Party Hizb al-Wataniyyin al-Ahrar
حزب الوطنيين الأحرار
National liberalism
Economic liberalism
Christian 1
Democratic Left Movement Harakat Al-Yassar ll-Dimoqrati
حركة اليسار الديمقراطي
Democratic socialism
Social democracy
Secular 1
Islamic Group Al-Jamaa Al-Islamiya
الجماعة الإسلامية
Islamism Sunni Muslim 1
Democratic Renewal Harakat al-Tajaddod al-Dimoqrati
حركة التجدد الدمقراطي
Liberalism
Social liberalism
Reformism
Secular 0
Lebanese National Bloc Hizb al-Kitla al-Wataniya
حزب الكتلة الوطنية
Conservatism
Lebanese nationalism
Maronite Christian 0
Free Shia Movement Tayyar el-Shi'i el-Horr
التيار الشيعي الحرّ
Islamic liberalism Shiite Muslim 0
Syriac Union of Lebanon Hizb al Ittihad al Siryāni
حزب الاتحاد السرياني
Assyrianism Syriac/Assyrian 0
Shuraya Party Hizb Al-Shurāya Assyrianism Assyrian 0
Lebanese Peace Party Hizb as-Salām al-Lubnāny
حزب السلام اللبناني
Pacifism Secular 0

See also

List of attacks in Lebanon

External links

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