Aoun to Tackle Security, Electoral Law, Regional Crises in Key Speech

President Michel Aoun is expected to address the latest rapid developments in Lebanon and the region in a key speech on Friday, a media report said.

Aoun will deliver the speech at a ceremony marking the 156th anniversary of the foundation of the Internal Security Forces, which will be held in the morning at the Martyr Major General Wissam al-Hassan Barracks in Dbaye. It will be the first such ceremony that Aoun sponsors as president, al-Joumhouria newspaper said.

Informed sources told the daily that the president will underline his vision for the hot topics of the current period, especially regarding security.

“In addition to the security concerns, he will tackle the developments in the efforts to reach a new electoral law as well as Lebanon's stance on the developments in the region, especially the ongoing events in Syria and the region and the crisis that has erupted in the Arab Gulf,” the sources added.

The country's main political parties have recently agreed that the new electoral law should be fully based on proportional representation and 15 electoral districts but they are still wrangling over the electoral system's mechanisms and technicalities, especially those related to the representation of sects.

Lebanon has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has since extended its own term twice. The second extended term will expire on June 20.