Lebanon is a republic with a President, a Cabinet and a unicameral National Assembly of 128 members. The parliament that has legislative powers elects the President for six-year non-renewable term. The President appoints a Prime Minister and the Cabinet, both of whom have executive powers. By the National Covenant in 1943, the President is a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, the Speaker of the parliament a Shiite Muslim and the chief of the staff of the armed forces a Druze. Under the reforms of the peace accord which ended the civil war in 1990, many of the powers of the Christian President were shifted to a half Christian, half Muslim Cabinet and the Muslim Prime Minister was required to counter sign Presidential decrees.