[13] Under the terms of an agreement known as the National Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, the president of the country must be a Maronite, the Prime Minister must be a Sunnite, and the Speaker of Parliament must be a Shiite.

[23] A study done by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1985 put the numbers of Muslims (Shia 41%, Sunni 27%, Druze 7%) at 75% of the population (1,667,000 of 2,228,000).

[23] Although Lebanon is a secular country, family matters such as marriage, divorce and inheritance are still handled by the religious authorities representing a person's faith.

However, the Minister of the Interior Ziad Baroud made it possible in 2009 to have the religious sect removed from one’s Lebanese identity card.

This does not, however, deny religious authorities complete control over civil family issues inside the country.

Sunni notables traditionally held power in the Lebanese state together, and they are still the only ones eligible for the post of Prime Minister[34] Sunnis form the majority in west Beirut, Tripoli, Sidon, Central and Western Beqaa and hasbaya, ikleem al kharroub, Miniyeh, and Danniyeh districts, and Akkar in the north.