Corruption in Lebanon

Political corruption
Concepts
Anti-corruption Bribery Cronyism Economics of corruption Electoral fraud Influence peddling Kleptocracy Mafia state Nepotism Slush fund Simony
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Corruption in Lebanon is examined on this page.

Extent

Transparency International's CPI gives Lebanon a score of 28%, putting the country at a rank of 137 out of the 180 nations surveyed by the index .

Lebanon's government works within the framework of Confessionalism (politics), with parliamentary seats and other government positions allocated by religious confession. Many members of government have been in power since the Lebanese Civil War, with a simple shuffling of positions every election cycle. Many blame this system for the country’s continued corruption. Government officials reportedly often award contracts to friends and family, leading to many of the country’s problems, like daily power cuts. Many working-class Lebanese citizens rely on economic assistance from their party, which stops them from speaking up against the system, despite widespread opposition .

Corruption happens on every level of society and is not strictly limited to high-level officials. As in many neighboring countries, using personal family and party connections to get favors, like skipping a long queue, getting into a selective institution, or finding a job; known locally as wasta is common practice and has become the social norm. Although many believe that using wasta is understandable for each individual case as institutions are often inefficient without it, it is also agreed upon that the social phenomenon deepens economic inequality .

Public reaction and opposition

Anti-corruption sentiment has been one of the driving forces behind many of the large-scale Lebanese protests in recent history. Notably, the 2015–2016 Lebanese protests sparked by the closure of a waste dump without a plan, which triggered a “garbage crisis” and the 2019–2020 Lebanese protests sparked by an increase in taxes .

Many anti-system parties run on an anti-corruption platform, most notably Beirut Madinati, which ran during the 2016 Beirut municipal election . Although the party lost, it gained unprecedented traction for an outsider party in Lebanon’s otherwise rigid political status quo . With 40% of the votes, it forced the March 14 Alliance and the March 8 Alliance, historical opponents, to form a coalition in order to win .

References

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