Feeling underrepresented by the Christian government, leftist groups began to oppose the confessional system in Lebanon while rightist groups began to grow and attempt to preserve the system. Both groups began to take up arms until a full-fledged war developed in 1975 which lasted until 1990. In 1990, the new system of government in Lebanon was established to promote more equality in the confessional system. .
The ta"if agreement:.
The current political system was agreed upon in the Ta"if agreement which was agreed upon in Ta"if, Saudi Arabia. Different Lebanese leaders from different factions gathered in order to determine the fate of a post-war Lebanon and discuss amendments to the constitution. One of the major differences was that executive power, previously entrusted to the President of Lebanon, was now handed over to the Council of Ministers which would represent a more sectarian-balanced sharing of the executive power. In the post-war Lebanese government, the Parliament and the Council of Ministers propose laws. There is also an article in the Constitution for a Senate that will represent different groups to secure that not one group has the majority in political voice. The Senate, however, is mentioned in the Constitution yet to this day, it does not exist. Another major attribute of the new political system is the shift in the political representation of the different sects. Parliament members amount to 108 members in the new political system. The ratio of Muslims to Christians is 5:5 in the parliament, with 54 Christians and 54 Muslims represented. Alawites, a relatively small sect in Lebanon, were able to finally join the Lebanese political system through representation in parliament with two seats. The new distribution was as follows: Maronites, 34 seats; Sunni, 27 seats; Shi"ite, 27 seats; Greek Orthodox, 17; Druze, 8; Armenian Orthodox and Greek Melchites, 5 each; and Armenian Catholics and Protestants.