Franjieh Renews Support for Orthodox Law: Suleiman Rejected it at France, Qatar's Behest

Marada Movement leader MP Suleiman Franjieh repeated his support for the Orthodox Gathering electoral draft law, while voicing his wonder at President Michel Suleiman's rejection of it, reported al-Akhbar newspaper on Saturday.

He told the newspaper that Suleiman's rejection of the law is unjustified, noting: “He only opposed at France and Qatar's behest.”

“Lebanon is caught between two regional agendas. If Syria is victorious in its conflict, then the resistance and our project will win. If it loses, then the Mustaqbal Movement and others will win,” he remarked.

“Suleiman is the March 14 camp's Trojan horse,” he explained.

“The president was elected through France, Qatar, and Syria's consent. He shifted his positions once Syria was weakened,” continued Franjieh.

“The situation would have been different had it not been weakened … and he will not accept the victory of our camp in the parliamentary elections,” he stated.

“The president cannot violate Christian consensus,” he stressed.

The Orthodox Gathering law calls for each sect to elect its own representative at parliament.

It was advocated by the March 8 camp's Marada Movement and Free Patriotic Movement and the March 14 camp's Lebanese Forces and Phalange Party.

President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati and various other officials voiced their rejection of the law, saying that it fuels sectarianism in Lebanon.

“Perhaps the president may change his mind over the Orthodox Gathering proposal when he returns to Lebanon from Russia. Perhaps Russian officials would have informed him that the Syrian regime will not be overthrown,” said Franjieh.

Despite his support for the Orthodox Gathering law, Franjieh still believes that proportional representation is the best system for the electoral law, reported al-Akhbar.

“We should try proportional representation. We may discover some of its flaws as we did with the 1960 law,” he said.

“I still believe that the 1960 law is a good one because it allows all sects to be represented properly at parliament,” he remarked.

Franjieh helped devise the law when he served as Interior Minister in 2004, said al-Akhbar.

“The problem with the 1960 law is money,” stressed the MP.

The majority of the political factions had voiced their rejection of the amended 1960 law for the 2013 elections.

The law as adopted during the 2009 polls.

“We cannot hold the elections based on a law that is rejected by the Sunni sect and the elections cannot be held based on a law rejected by the Christians,” added Franjieh.

“Moreover, those who believe that the hybrid law will garner consensus are mistaken,” he said.

The hybrid law combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems.

“I do not seek a law that would bolster centrism as there is no such thing as centrism in Lebanon,” explained the Marada leader.

“There is a difference between being a centrist figure and an unstable one,” he noted.

“A centrist figure, who does not have his own political agenda, cannot govern Lebanon,” declared the MP.