Change and Reform Proposes Constitutional Amendment on Direct Elections

إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية W460

Change and Reform bloc lawmakers proposed on Thursday a draft-law for a constitutional amendment to have direct presidential elections in Lebanon.

Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said MP Ibrahim Kanaan, who proposed the draft-law on behalf of the bloc's members, is scheduled to hold a press conference on Friday to inform the public opinion about it.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Michel Aoun, who heads the parliamentary bloc, made an initiative in June to resolve the presidential deadlock.

He called for the “limited constitutional amendment” that would allow the people to elect their head of state in two rounds to avoid the same scenarios that parliamentary sessions are witnessing.

Parliament has failed in several rounds to elect a successor to President Michel Suleiman, whose six-year term expired in May after the March 8 and 14 alliances failed to agree on a compromise candidate.

The majority of the March 8 camp's MPs, including the lawmakers of Aoun's Change and Reform bloc, have boycotted the sessions, leading to a lack of the needed two-thirds quorum.

Aoun said that his proposal lies in allowing only Christians to vote for their candidates in the first round.

The system then allows the polls to be held at the level of the entire nation to pave way for both Muslims and Christians to choose the two candidates who received the majority of votes in the first round.

The FPM chief has refused to announce his candidacy, claiming there should be consensus on him first. But the March 14 alliance, has backed his rival Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea, who was the first to make the presidential bid.

G.K.

M.T.

Comments 32
Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 13:09

well they would, when the Finger Pointing Movement leader gets elected
normal isn't it, very democratic, inclusive and participative
really ironic and sad

Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 13:12

رئيس لبنان القوي معروف من هو وهذه المرة لن يكون هناك مساومة والعماد عون يعيد لموقع الرئاسة هيبتها

this will be achieved through direct collaboration with syria and with the blessings if its allies in Lebanon
what a shame, after all the deaths and immigration that he caused in the 90s
he could have done it and showed everyone his true colors

Default-user-icon Brigitte Tabet De Saint Cyr (Guest) 21 August 2014, 13:36

vehemently applauses .-flamethrower.-

Default-user-icon yadayadayad (Guest) 21 August 2014, 13:48

look at the fpm defenders of the christian rights calling for the president be elected by the muslim majority, just yesterday gebran bassil was propped up screaming about how the rights of Christians in Lebanon are being violated on the presidential, parliamentary, and administrative levels. the fpm has turned into the ssnp and a cheaper version at that.

Default-user-icon yadayadayad (Guest) 21 August 2014, 15:15

I agree flamy. and now i will wait for someone from the democratic fpm m8er's to tout de suite call for the abolition of the mounasafat! as this is not an yet an islamic republic but it is still a free-ish country and i will stay yadayada here all i want. i will even to the death defend your right to continue with your blablabla. you can try to shut me up democratically m8er's style by Hashem al-Salman-ing me though(:

Thumb sophia_angle 21 August 2014, 14:15

#تسلم_ايدك_يا_جنرال 1
14 Million in couple of hours on this hashtag ! for sure they want to boycott his public election because they will witness the big "Tsunami" !!

Thumb ex-fpm 21 August 2014, 14:29

If the voting on your hashtag is anything like the voting here, then not much can be said.

Thumb sophia_angle 21 August 2014, 14:51

are you in puberty? if not u can easily check it on net :/

Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 16:34

i wonder sophia, in teh 1990s did u love lebanon more or ur general?
bc i sang the SONGS BACK THEN " MA BEDNA JEISH BI LEBNENIN ILLA EL JESIH L LEBNENE"
right? so shou 3ada ma bada so now we call for coordinating with syrians and the syrian army in particular
really what changed except u replaced the Palestinians by da3esh

Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 16:36

its a good thing that u have an old pic of that guy, id like to believe that all our sacrifices and harassment by the syrian troops were not for nothing
i really hope that we were right back then and now he just went koukou

Thumb gma-bs-artist. 21 August 2014, 17:13

fantastic hashtag by the way who's running the FPM twitter account now that Hussein al-Hussein was arrested?

Thumb EagleDawn 21 August 2014, 17:43

too funny:))))

Missing lqu7 21 August 2014, 14:43

As usual, the FPM is ahead of the curve on democratic reforms. People should vote for the president, and the 2 round system ensures Christians have their say. The M14 dhimis are truly envious and it shows.

Thumb ex-fpm 21 August 2014, 15:23

This is all heresy! Electing the president directly by the people would require changing the Lebanese System from a parliamentary system to one in which the president has all the powers like in the United States. This topic is much deeper than what the FPM wants it to be.

Default-user-icon Nsia Chiemeka Thabo (Guest) 21 August 2014, 15:39

I just dunno how you keep doing it, flamethrower. I mean your style, your quickness, your sense of humor, your choice of words are truly incredible. Keep up the excellent work. You are an excellent debater!

Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 16:37

oh FT, yalla ask ur new bffs to kill us after all that's what they do best

Default-user-icon Ashamed (Guest) 21 August 2014, 15:51

"Pity the nation that acclaims the bully as hero,
and that deems the glittering conqueror bountiful.”

Gibran wrote these lines over 90 years ago and unfortunately we are still no wiser. Reading FPM's latest enlightened moves, one must wonder: which expired Parliament should pass this new law and which new parliamentary electoral law will legitimise this Parliament and this new electroal amendment in the first place? Which Cabinet should accept it? There is no legitimacy left to talk about, there is nothing left to have pity with. The only thing left is a deep feeling of shame and disgust.

Default-user-icon oui the people (Guest) 21 August 2014, 15:51

Yeah it's about democracy, someone ask charbel nahhas about aounist democracy, truthfulness, constitutionality he'll tell you about hypocrisy, cynicism, backstabbing

Thumb beiruti 21 August 2014, 16:21

These are Unchanging Unreformed Blockheads. To amend the constitution requires a legislative act of the Chamber of Deputies. By the Constitution, when there is a vacancy in the office of the President, the Chamber of Deputies can ONLY serve as an electoral body, not as a legislative body.
First there must be the election of a President under the existing constitutional rules. Then they can talk about amending the constitution to change the method of election.
Kenaan is supposed to be a lawyer and know these things, but is seems he has become a part of the group-think mentality at FPM where they are all on the same wave length with a bi-polar schizophrenic, who now has a broken arm.

Thumb Bandoul 21 August 2014, 18:14

Yislam timmak...but for some people unpatriotic hoodlums changing the rules as they go to suit their purpose while pulling the wool over the eyes of their blind, deaf and mute followers is par for the course. Just for the sake of being clear I am in full support of changing any law that subvert the will of the people but it has to be done legally and within the framework of the existing constitutional authority.

Thumb beiruti 21 August 2014, 16:29

Article 69. - (Abrogated by the constitutional law of 8 May 1929
5) Should the presidency become vacant through death, resignation or other cause, the Assembly meets immediately and as a matter of right to elect a new President. If at the time the vacancy occurs, the Chamber happens to be dissolved, the electoral bodies are summoned without delay and, soon after the elections are held, the Chamber meets as a matter right.
Article 75. - (As modified by the constitutional law of 17 October article 40)
The Chamber meeting to elect the President of the Republic constitutes an electing body and not a deliberating assembly.
It must proceed solely, without delay or debate, with the election Head of the State.

Thumb Bandoul 21 August 2014, 18:17

Again, right on but there are those who don't bother with the rule of law. They just feel free to twist and bend anything and everyone to get their way.

Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 16:31

ok so now we're contesting the parliamentary system
the same system you used to petition ur greatest idea so far
how funny, keep them coming FT
hahaha

Thumb sophia_angle 21 August 2014, 16:33

all this region is under new era its been planned to divide it into sects fighting each other until death, the one who survives at the end will be sooo weak n be bought...pity that Christians are been caught in the middle

Missing imperatrice 21 August 2014, 16:43

pst pst, axis of evil
look at teh latest democratic achivement in your beloved mama land
The Iranian parliament has sacked a minister- Reza Faraji-Dana for allowing students expelled from university over anti-government unrest in 2009 to return to college.

tsk tsk tsk, allowing students back to unis after manifesting in the streets and questioning ayat alshaytan ruling

Thumb nickjames 21 August 2014, 17:25

"the bill presented by the FPM calls for all LEBANESE to elect their president"

Yeah that's why when Hariri gave his proposals to resolve the deadlock, you said "great now Hariri is telling the Christians how to elect their president." You're a hypocrite Flamethrower. Either this president is for Christians or it's for all Lebanese, make up your mind.

Thumb nickjames 22 August 2014, 03:44

They weren't exactly proposals but when he was talking about the vacuum you said he was telling the Christians how to elect "their" president. Now you're all happy how it's for all Lebanese.

Default-user-icon putting the con in consensual (Guest) 21 August 2014, 18:22

whatever happens to the fpm's claim that Aoun will only announce his candidacy only if he's the consensual president?

Missing a.christian 21 August 2014, 22:07

He will never become president. He is a loser.

Thumb canadianpaul 21 August 2014, 23:59

I don't want Geagea. I don't want Aoun.

What are my options?

Default-user-icon PEACE (Guest) 22 August 2014, 03:10

Aoun = Daaesh
Me or no one
Our ruling prevails
Ready to change anything that doesn't suit us
Finger pointing party (not invented but learnt from HA)
Both are opportunist
Attacking the weakers and poorest (1990)
Not religious but still using religion as pretext
There is a very long list of common aspects between IS and Aoun.
Leave it to the readers to add

Missing greatpierro 22 August 2014, 07:23

If you are concerned by democracy you cannot say either follow fpm proposition or you are traitors. Let me explain to you: democracy means the liberty of voicing opinions and respect of each other's opinions.

Tf surprises me not that you voice such comments since you support Tayyar, which is an undemocratic party run in a autocratic nepotism manner, you also support Iran and Syria which wre among the few tyrannical countries still existing on earth.