Berri Optimistic on Electoral Subcommittee Meetings, Says Breakthrough Looming

Speaker Nabih Berri expressed optimism on the electoral subcommittee meetings, pointing out that if the members failed to reach common ground then the matter will be referred to the joint parliamentary committees.

The speaker told An Nahar newspaper on Friday that the subcommittee's chairman, MP Robert Ghanem, briefed him on the appearance of new “positive” signs during the meetings.

He pointed out that several members at the subcommittee welcomed the hybrid electoral law suggested by AMAL's Liberation and Development parliamentary bloc, which is led by Berri.

Berri said the proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems divides the parliamentary seats equally between Muslims and Christians.

The subcommittee is currently tasked with discussing the proposal extended its mission of the for 15 days starting last Monday.

“The electoral subcommittee has a week to reach consensus” among the bickering March 14 and 8 alliances, the speaker said. “If it failed to reach an agreement then the matter will be referred to the joint parliamentary committees.”

Berri praised the efforts exerted by the subcommittee members to reach a breakthrough over the thorny electoral law crisis.

The subcommittee has discussed several proposals, the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal, a draft-law that divides Lebanon into 50 districts based on a winner-takes-all system and a bill referred to parliament by the government and that calls for 13 districts based on proportionality.

The majority of the subcommittee's members have supported the Orthodox proposal which calls for a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system.

But al-Mustaqbal bloc, from the opposition, and the the Democratic Gathering of centrist MP Walid Jumblat have criticized it and stood firm in favor of a winner-takes-all system.