A Lebanese Heads Official Hungarian Delegation to Boost Ties between Countries

A Lebanese national Pierre Shaqib Daher visited Lebanon in the past few weeks at the head of a Hungarian official delegation, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.

Daher is a Hungarian MP affiliated since 1989 in the Youth party in Budapest, which chose him to represent it in the Hungarian parliament after winning a seat during the 2010 elections.

The Hungarian Prime Minister, Viktor Orban, tasked Daher to visit Lebanon at the head of an official delegation to boost the bilateral relations and investments between the two countries.

“Hungary is seeking to open its economy to the Arab countries,” Daher told An Nahar.

The MP headed to the southern village of Qlaiaa, his hometown, after 31 years of absence.

Daher praised the Lebanese democratic system, which distinguishes it from the other Arab countries.

However, he criticized the sectarianism that controls the country.

“I think if politicians adopt the proportional representation system, things would change,” Daher said.

The cabinet has been recently discussing a draft law proposed by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on adopting the proportional representation system in the upcoming elections in 2013, under which Lebanon would be divided into 10 to 14 medium-sized electorates.