Country: Lebanon
Detailed information about the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, a political party in Lebanon.
Your continued donations keep Wikipedia runningQornet Shehwan GatheringFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaJump to: navigation, searchLebanonThis article is part of the series:Politics and government ofLebanonConstitutionPresidentEmile LahoudPrime MinisterFouad SinioraPresent governmentParliamentSpeakerPolitical partiesElectionsGovernoratesDistrictsForeign relationsOther countries #160;• #160;Politics #160;Portalview • talk • editThe Qornet Shehwan Gathering is a Lebanese political organization, comprising politicians, intellectuals, and businessmen, mostly Christian and ranging in ideology from the centre-right to the center-left. The organization is not a political party in the classical sense: its members belong to, and in some cases lead, a variety of political parties. It is more of a loose coalition, although whether it intends to organize electorally is unclear. The coalition adheres to seven principles and pursues five objectives.Contents1 History2 Principles3 Objectives4 Membership4.1 Present members4.2 Former members[edit]HistoryThe coalition takes it name from the town of its headquarters, Qornet Shehwan, a town in the Metn district of Mount Lebanon and the seat of the Maronite Archbishopric of Al Metn. It was founded on April 30, 2001 by total of 29 individuals, representing political parties and civic organizations, as well as independents, with the blessing of the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir. Membership (see below) has fluctuated since, as some founding members and parties are no longer affiliated. Even Patriarch Sfeir retreated from his earlier endorsement of the group (under government pressure, some allege) to a less partisan stance. Some who have left continue to work with the coalition informally, however.As a prelude to a full withdrawal of Syrian troops, the Qornet Shehwan originally called for their redeployment to the Bekaa Valley. In the wake of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri on 14 February 2005, however, the Qornet Shehwan has escalated its campaign to call for the immediate withdrawal of Syrian military and intelligence forces from Lebanon, and for fresh parliamentary and presidential elections to be held, free from foreign interference. Qornet Shehwan member (and now parliamentarian) Samir Frangieh said on March 16, 2005 that parliamentary elections must precede presidential ones, because the current parliament (elected in 2000 and allegedly gerrymandered to produce a pro-Syrian majority), would be likely to elect another pro-Syrian President to succeed Emile Lahoud, whom the opposition considers to be a Syrian puppet.The 2005 parliamentary elections results were disastrous for the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, mainly because they failed to make alliances with the Free Patriotic Movement of the general Michel Aoun, whose candidates grabbed 21 seats in the Christian heartland. Only few members of the gathering (Nayla Moawad, Samir Frangieh, Boutros Harb and 6 of the Lebanese Forces ca
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