March 8 Alliance

{{short description|Lebanese pro-Assad regime political coalition}}

{{Infobox political party

| name = March 8 Alliance

| native_name = تحالف 8 آذار

| leader =

| general_secretary =

| logo =

| ideology = Factions:
Arab socialism
Syrian nationalism
Arab nationalism
Shia Islamism
Neo-Ba'athism
Christian democracy
Social democracy
Pro-Syria (until 2024)
Pro-Iran
Anti-Zionism

| position = Big tent

| website =

| country = Lebanon

| founded = {{Start date and age|8 March 2005}}

| dissolved =

| colors = {{color box|orange|border=silver}} {{color box|white|border=silver}} Orange, white

| seats1_title = Parliament of Lebanon

| seats1 = {{Composition bar|51|128|hex={{party color|March 8 Alliance}}}}

| seats2_title = Cabinet of Lebanon

| seats2 = {{Composition bar|5|24|hex={{party color|March 8 Alliance}}}}

}}

The March 8 Alliance ({{langx|ar|تحالف 8 آذار|taḥāluf 8 āḏār|}}) is a loose coalition of political parties and independents in Lebanon formed in 2005 that are united by their pro-Ba'athist Syria{{cite news|last=Daoud|first=David|date=12 January 2017|url=https://www.newsweek.com/hezbollahs-latest-conquest-lebanons-cabinet-541487|title=Hezbollah's Latest Conquest: Lebanon's Cabinet|work=Newsweek}} stance and their opposition to the former March 14 Alliance. It was the ruling coalition in Lebanon with the government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati from June 2011 until March 2013.[http://dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jul-10/223165-march-8-finished-aoun-out-in-the-cold.ashx#axzz2YVHIO4jG March 8 finished, Aoun out in the cold] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171116081926/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Jul-10/223165-march-8-finished-aoun-out-in-the-cold.ashx#axzz2YVHIO4jG |date=November 16, 2017 }} The Daily Star 10 July 2013 Main parties of the March 8 Alliance are part of the third Cabinet of Najib Mikati since 2021.{{cite news|last=Cornet|first=Wassim|date=17 May 2022|url=https://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20220517-lebanon-s-hezbollah-allies-lose-parliament-majority-in-elections|title=Lebanon's Hezbollah, allies lose parliament majority in elections|work=France 24|access-date=10 April 2023}}

History

The name dates back to 8 March 2005 when different parties called for a mass demonstration in downtown Beirut in response to the Cedar Revolution.{{cite news|url=https://www.cnn.com/2005/WORLD/meast/03/08/lebanon.syria/index.html|publisher=CNN|title=Hezbollah rallies Lebanese to support Syria|date=9 March 2005|access-date=28 April 2010}} The demonstration thanked Syria for helping stop the Lebanese Civil War and the aid in stabilising Lebanon and supporting the Lebanese resistance to the Israeli occupation.{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2005/03/08/international/middleeast/08cnd-beirut.html | work=The New York Times | first=Hassan M. | last=Fattah | title=Hezbollah Leads Huge Pro-Syrian Protest in Central Beirut | date=8 March 2005}} Free Patriotic Movement led by Michel Aoun eventually joined the rival March 8 Alliance, becoming one of its principal coalition partners.

=Inclusion of Free Patriotic Movement=

The Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) was the basis of the March 14 Alliance movement. FPM launched the Liberation War against the Syrian Army on 14 March 1989 and participated in all demonstrations against the Syrian occupation until the Cedar Revolution's mass demonstration on 14 March 2005.{{Cite web |title=Lebanon.com Newswire - Local News August 7 2001 |url=http://www.lebanon.com/news/local/2001/8/7.htm |access-date=2021-07-08 |website=www.lebanon.com}} The FPM split from the March 14 Alliance on 6 February 2006, when its leader Michel Aoun signed a memorandum of understanding with Hezbollah.{{Cite web|title=Lebanese Christians shocked over Shia politics but this could be just the beginning {{!}} Ali al-Amin|url=http://thearabweekly.com/lebanese-christians-shocked-over-shia-politics-could-be-just-beginning|access-date=2021-10-21|website=AW|language=en}} FPM considered its project against the Syrian government completed when the Syrian Army left Lebanon at the end of April 2005.Rudy Jaafar and Maria J. Stephan, "Lebanon's Independence Intifada: How an Unarmed Insurrection Expelled Syrian Forces", in Maria J. Stephan (ed.), Civilian Jihad: Nonviolent Struggle, Democratization, and Governance in the Middle East, Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 2009, pp. 169-85.

=Ruling Alliance (2011–2013)=

The Progressive Socialist Party left the March 14 alliance in January 2011 after being one of its cornerstones and ostensibly aligned itself with the alliance's Change and Reform bloc after Walid Jumblatt visited Damascus. This move gave the alliance and its partners a majority in the parliament, enabling them to name Najib Mikati as prime minister to form the Lebanese government of June 2011.{{cite book|author=William Harris|title=Lebanon: A History, 600-2011|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jY4ImTGnamUC&pg=PP2|accessdate=7 April 2013|date=19 July 2012|publisher=Oxford University Press|isbn=978-0-19-518111-1|pages=274}}

The government led by March 8 Alliance survived 22 months until Mikati's resignation on 23 March 2013.{{cite news|last=El Basha|first=Thomas|title=Lebanese PM announces resignation of his government|url=http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Mar-22/211161-lebanese-pm-mikati-announces-his-resignation.ashx#axzz2ODDb0hpR|access-date=22 March 2013|newspaper=The Daily Star|date=22 March 2013|archive-date=November 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112022746/http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2013/Mar-22/211161-lebanese-pm-mikati-announces-his-resignation.ashx#axzz2ODDb0hpR|url-status=dead}}

= 2016 presidential elections =

After a presidential vacuum that lasted from 23 April 2014 until 31 October 2016, the Parliament was able to elect MP and former General Michel Aoun, who in turn nominated March 14 member Saad Hariri as Prime Minister.