Joint Committees Fail to Draft Electoral Law, as Adwan Suggests MPs Vote for One

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The joint parliamentary committees tasked with drafting an electoral law failed to achieve that purpose on Tuesday and scheduled the upcoming session to July 13.

Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan made a suggestion that MPs vote at the parliament's general secretariat for the electoral law they deem appropriate, otherwise reconsider the initiative launched by Speaker Nabih Berri.

Adwan's proposal was rejected by Free Patriotic Movement MP Alain Aoun who said: “We will not accept voting on any kind of electoral law before voting on the Orthodox law.”

The Orthodox law calls for each sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system based on a nationwide district.

Wednesday's session failed to achieve the desired goal, in light of the conflicting opinions between the political parties.

The FPM, Hizbullah and the AMAL movement support a proportional representation draft-law, meanwhile al-Mustaqbal bloc rejects it.

Speaker Nabih Berri's initiative aims at ending the political impasse in the country. He called for shortening the term of parliament and that the elections be held based on the 1960 law should political forces fail to agree on a new electoral one.

He also called for staging the presidential elections after the parliamentary ones and forming a national unity government.

But during a meeting of the national dialogue parties Tuesday, Berri had warned against the same suggestion he called for earlier. He cautioned that holding the next parliamentary elections under the 1960 electoral law, would make the citizens “take to the streets” to reject such a move.”

For his part, MP Farid Makari said after the joint committees meeting: “There is no electoral law appropriate for all. A good law is one that is appropriate for the country.”

Hizbullah MP Ali Fayyad reiterated that the “proportional representation draft-law” is better than any other.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 2
Missing peace 22 June 2016, 14:31

whatever law is used, this country will stay a third world one as long as we have the same inefficient corrupted politicians...they are just fighting to get a seat or keep the ones they have to make money... no one is fighting for the welfare of the country....

Thumb barrymore 22 June 2016, 14:32

proportional representation is an obsolete form of representation and a recipe for obstruction.