Hundreds Protest Lebanon’s Sectarian Politics

Hundreds of people protested in Lebanon Sunday against the country’s sectarian political system.

The protesters in Beirut carried signs and chanted slogans calling for a secular government.

Lebanon’s power-sharing system requires that the president be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker a Shi’ite Muslim. Each religious group makes up about one-third of Lebanon’s population.

The system is unlike many Arab countries where authoritarian regimes have ruled for decades. But the protest appeared to be inspired by the wave of uprisings across the Middle East. Protesters used the social networking website Facebook to help organize the event.

FULL ARTICLE FROM VOICE OF AMERICA