Adwan: Cabinet Must Dedicate Meetings to Discuss Election Law

Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan said on Tuesday that the cabinet must schedule sessions strictly dedicated to discussing a new electoral law for the looming parliamentary polls.

“The cabinet must hold successive meetings where discussions strictly focus on finding a new electoral law,” said Adwan after an adjourned parliament session that was scheduled for questioning the cabinet.

“We insist on having the elections held on time and that a new law is endorsed,” he added.

“We have to cooperate to pass a vote law that supports and consolidates the mountain reconciliation,” he said.

The political parties have intensified their efforts in recent days in a bid to agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of the deadlines.

While al-Mustaqbal Movemnet has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on proportional representation, arguing that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.

Hizbullah, Mustaqbal, the Free Patriotic Movement, AMAL Movement and the Lebanese Forces are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.

The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate.

The last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next vote is scheduled for May.