Berri Considers Hybrid Electoral Law as 'Best' Option
Speaker Nabih Berri described on Saturday the hybrid electoral draft-law that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems as “the best proposal.”
He stressed that the division of parliamentary seats between the two systems makes it hard for anyone to predict the result of the elections, considering the hybrid law to have “comprehensive mysteriousness.”
Most blocs have continuously announced their rejection to the 1960 law that is based on a winner-takes-all system. It was used in the 2009 elections.
But they have made separate proposals.
Berri said in an interview published in al-Akhbar newspaper that the law also grants Christians their parliamentary seats according to their votes more than the Orthodox Gathering electoral draft law does.
The hybrid electoral law grants us “equality,” the speaker told the newspaper.
A parliamentary subcommittee tasked with discussing the country's new electoral law kicked off its first session last month with an agreement to wrap up the matter within a month.
In May 2013, the parliament voted to extend its own mandate for 17 months after the rival political parties failed to reach a deal on a new electoral law other than the one based on 50 small-sized districts in a winner-takes-all system.
Earlier this month, lawmakers also deepened the political deadlock in the country after they voted once again to delay elections and announced they would extend their mandate until 2017, which was met by a huge popular dismay.
The subcommittee is discussing several proposals, the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal, a draft-law that divides Lebanon into 50 districts based on a winner-takes-all system, a bill referred to parliament by the government and that calls for 13 districts based on proportionality, in addition to the hybrid suggestion made by Berri.
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