Bassil Replies to Berri: Slashing Parliament's Term Harms Electoral Reforms

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Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil replied to Speaker Nabih Berri's suggestion to slash the parliament's already extended term and said that it “hits reforms,” introduced with the country's new electoral law, the National News Agency reported Tuesday.

“Reforms introduced to the country's electoral law require several months to be implemented, therefore any suggestion to shorten the parliament's term hits the major electoral reforms that have been achieved for the first time,” said Bassil addressing the Lebanese community in Houston, United States.

"We are against the extension of the parliament's term. The last time we accepted that extension was conditional for achieving the following reforms in the election law: First, the pre-printed cards, which prohibits bribery and political money. Secondly, the biometric voter card which increases the participation of Lebanese residents, and thirdly the right of the immigrants to vote in the elections,” said Bassil.

“These reasons require several months term extension to be implemented in order for the reforms to be applied. Some talk arose lately about the shortening of the parliament's mandate and this hits the major electoral reforms that have been achieved for the first time,” added Bassil.

Citing “confusion over the issue of the biometric voting cards,” Berri had on Monday announced that his Development and Liberation bloc had submitted a draft law under which the extended term of the current parliament would expire on December 31, 2017 instead of May 21, 2018.

The Cabinet had on Sunday approved a suggestion to upgrade the national identity card into a “biometric identity card” that enables citizens to use their IDs to cast votes in the upcoming parliamentary elections.

The introduction of biometric voting cards was one of the excuses that the legislature had announced in order to extend its own term for a third time.

The upcoming parliamentary elections are slated to be held under a proportional representation electoral law for the first time in Lebanon's history.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 1
Thumb ashtah 19 September 2017, 12:18

wow! Now Bassil is pro extending parliament's term;)