Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: This article examines the power sharing arrangements as institutionalized by both Lebanon and Iraq. Consociational democracy, long thought of as suitable for deeply divided society, is examined in light of both countries’ efforts to bridge the confessional and ethnic divides. The proposition advanced in this article challenges the ethno-sectarian model of consociationalism as being inadequate for deeply divided societies undergoing democratic transition. A comparative examination for the impact of the demographic, spatial, and regional power shifts in both countries reveals grave consequences in the implementation of the ethno-sectarian power sharing arrangement. Alternatively, this paper proposes an integrative consociationalism that can accommodate ethno-sectarianism as well as national-secularism in the power sharing scheme. It advances national electoral reform strategies that can facilitate the implementation of the proposed integrative consociational model.