On January 10, 1971, a by-poll was held to elect a member of parliament from one of the Sunni Muslim seats from Chouf District in the Lebanese Chamber of Deputies.
Orient, Vol. 11–14
'. Deutsches Orient-Institut, 1970 p. 23
ARR: Arab Report and Record
'. Economic Features, Limited, 1971. p. 33 The constituency was a very sensitive area, as it was the home to arch-rivals

Kamal Jumblatt Kamal Fouad Jumblatt ( ar, كمال فؤاد جنبلاط; 6 December 1917 – 16 March 1977) was a Lebanese politician who founded the Progressive Socialist Party. He led the National Movement during the civil war against the Lebanese Front. ...

and

Camille Chamoun Camille Nimr Chamoun OM, ONC ( ar, كميل نمر شمعون, ''Kamīl Sham'ūn''; 3 April 1900 – 7 August 1987) was a Lebanese politician who served as President of Lebanon from 1952 to 1958. He was one of the country's main Christi ...

. The election was described by contemporary observers as the 'most fiery Lebanon had ever witnessed in a

by-election A by-election, also known as a special election in the United States and the Philippines, a bye-election in Ireland, a bypoll in India, or a Zimni election (Urdu: ضمنی انتخاب, supplementary election) in Pakistan, is an election used to f ...

'. There was a massive presence of security forces deployed in the constituency during the campaign and on the voting day in particular. The election was called following the death of the incumbent

Progressive Socialist Party The Progressive Socialist Party ( ar, الحزب التقدمي الاشتراكي, translit=al-Hizb al-Taqadummi al-Ishtiraki) is a Lebanese political party. Its confessional base is in the Druze sect and its regional base is in Mount Lebanon ...

parliamentarian Anwar al-Khatib in November 1970. Al-Khatib had been elected from Chouf in 1968.
Middle East Record, Vol. 5
'. Mekhon Shiloaḥ le-ḥeḳer ha-Mizraḥ ha-tikhon ṿe-Afriḳah, Ḥevrah ha-Mizraḥit ha-Yiśreʼelit, Merkaz le-meḥḳar ʻal shem Reʼuven Shiloaḥ. Israel Oriental Society, Reuven Shiloah Research Center, 1977. p. 949Zuwiyya, Jalal.
The Parliamentary Election of Lebanon 1968
'. Leiden: Brill, 1972. p. 70-72 Throughout the campaign there were unsuccessful efforts to find a compromise candidate, in order to avoid further sectarian conflict. The Prime Minister

Saeb Salam Saeb Salam (17 January 1905 – 21 January 2000) ( ar, صائب سلام) was a Lebanese politician, who served as Prime Minister six times between 1952 and 1973. Following his death, the Lebanese daily ''As-Safir'' described Salam as "most ...

was the most prominent figure in this drive for a middle ground. Salam also met with the Fatah leader Muhammad Yusuf an-Najjar to discuss reports of involvement of Palestinian fedayeen in the election campaign, claims that an-Najjar rebutted. In the end the fight over the seat stood between two candidates; Zahir al-Khatib (son of Anwar al-Khatib) and Hassan al-Qa'qur. Al-Khatib of the Progressive Socialist Party belonged to the camp Kamal Jumblatt. His candidature was also supported by Nahj, the

Communist Party A communist party is a political party that seeks to realize the socio-economic goals of communism. The term ''communist party'' was popularized by the title of ''The Manifesto of the Communist Party'' (1848) by Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels. ...

and other leftists. Al-Qa'qur, who had been defeated by the late al-Khatib in the 1968 election, was supported by an alliance consisting of ex-president Camille Chamoun's National Liberal Party, the

Kataeb Party The Kataeb Party ( ar, حزب الكتائب اللبنانية '), also known in English as the Phalanges, is a Christian political party in Lebanon. The party played a major role in the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1990). In decline in the lat ...

, Constitutionalists, former Nahjists and others. Al-Khatib won the seat, obtaining 22,065 votes. Al-Qa'qur obtained 18,148 votes. The election reaffirmed Jumblatt's dominance over politics in the Chouf District. In the end, no violent incidents were reported.

References

{{reflist 1971 elections in Asia By-elections in Lebanon 1971 in Lebanon Chouf District January 1971 events in Asia