Berri Attempts to Persuade Mustaqbal, Jumblat of New Electoral Law: No Alternative to Proportionality
Speaker Nabih Berri kicked off last week efforts to persuade the Mustaqbal Movement and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat to agree on a new parliamentary electoral law, reported the daily An Nahar on Sunday.
Sources following the speaker's efforts said that Berri was “adamant in his position that there can be no substitute to proportional representation” in the electoral law.
Berri had held talks with the head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora on January 18 and he is set to meet with Jumblat next week.
The speaker's sources added: “A new electoral law should be based on proportional representation or a combination of the winner-takes-all and proportional systems.”
He said that he is unable to persuade a “central political camp to advocate a law that is not based on proportional representation.”
Berri made his remarks in reference to himself, Hizbullah, President Michel Suleiman, and Prime Minister Najib Miqati.
The government approved in August a draft electoral law based on proportional representation and 13 districts.
The draft law was rejected by Jumblat and the March 14-led opposition that deemed it as being tailored to the March 8 camp's interests.
Meanwhile, sources monitoring the March 14 camp told An Nahar that the Mustaqbal bloc may accept an electoral law based on the winner-takes-all system and 40 to 45 districts.
March 14 sources told the daily: “Time is beginning to run out over discussions on a new electoral law and any stalling may lead to the postponement of the elections or a return to the 1960 law, which is rejected by the opposition.”
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