Hizbullah Bloc Says Failure to Pass New Electoral Law 'Shakes Confidence' in Govt.
Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance parliamentary bloc on Tuesday voiced rejection of the 1960 electoral law and reiterated its call for an electoral system based on proportional representation.
In a statement issued after its weekly meeting, the bloc called anew for an electoral law “fully based on proportional representation in a single electorate or several large electorates as a format that ensures equal power-sharing between Christians and Muslims, real partnership and correct and effective representation.”
And reiterating its rejection of 1960 law or a third extension of the parliament's term, Loyalty to Resistance noted that “the devising of a new electoral law was a pledge that the government committed itself to in its policy statement, despite its prior knowledge of the deadlines.”
“Failing to honor this pledge will definitely shake confidence in the government,” the bloc warned.
Speaker Nabih Berri and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq have announced that the country is likely headed to parliamentary elections under the controversial 1960 electoral law due to the parties' failure to agree on a new law.
Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially Mustaqbal and the Progressive Socialist Party, have rejected the proposal, arguing that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious competition in regions where the Iran-backed party has clout.
Mustaqbal, the Lebanese Forces and the PSP have meanwhile proposed a hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and the winner-takes-all systems. Berri has also proposed a hybrid law.
The country has not voted for a parliament since 2009, with the legislature instead twice extending its own mandate.
The 2009 polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next elections are scheduled for May 2017.
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