Three generations of Joumblatt influence
Initially a secular social democratic party founded by Druze leader Kamal Joumblatt, the PSP has enjoyed an oversized role in internal politics for two generations.
After Mr Joumblatt senior’s assassination in 1977, current PSP leader Walid Joumblatt took over and maintained the party’s influence.
But the party’s future is once again uncertain. The 68-year-old Mr Joumblatt has begun the party’s third transition of power to his son, Taymour Joumblatt, 36.
“He wanted to give Taymour a soft landing on to the political scene,” one PSP source said. Walid is still calling the shots and holding the big meetings with high-ranking officials.
But this comes at a delicate time, as the party faces more competition – Mr Aoun’s fight to ensure the Joumblatts cease to have a monopoly over the Druze and a shift to proportional representation at the previous election caused their share of seats in parliament to slide.
The younger Joumblatt will be unable to manoeuvre in the same capacity as his father – jocularly referred to as the weathervane of Lebanese politics for his stunning volte-faces – to give the Druze a powerful political presence, but the party is likely to remain a crucial, if somewhat diminished, component of the political tapestry for some time.