Hezbollah 2009 Political Manifesto (English translation of Arabic original)

The Resistance role is a national necessity as long as the "Israeli" threats and aspirations persist. The "Israeli" threat urges Lebanon to approve a defensive strategy that depends on a popular resistance participating in defending the country and an army that maintains the security of the country. The adoption of the Resistance choice in Lebanon achieved its role in liberating the land, restoring the State institutions and defending the sovereignty. The Resistance obligates itself to reinforce its abilities and join its strengths to assume its national responsibilities and liberate what remains under the "Israeli" occupation in the Shibaa farms and Kfarshouba hills and the Lebanese town of Ghajar. Section 3 - State and Political System. The major problem in the Lebanese political system, which thwarts its reform, development and regular updating, is political sectarianism. The fact that the Lebanese political system was founded on a sectarian basis represents in itself a strong restriction to the achievement of true democracy where an elected majority can rule and an elected minority can oppose. Thus, abrogating sectarianism is a basic condition for the execution of the majority-minority rule. Yet, the homogenous democracy will linger the fundamental basis for governance in Lebanon, because it is the actual quintessence of the spirit of the constitution and the core of the Charter of the co-existence. The consensual democracy represents a proper political formula to assure true partnership and contributes in opening the doors for everyone to join the phase of building the reassuring state.