Aoun Suggests Parliament Vote on Orthodox Gathering, then Hybrid Electoral Draft Laws

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Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun announced on Tuesday his readiness to have parliament vote on the Orthodox Gathering and hybrid electoral draft laws.

He said after the Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: “I am prepared to accept the outcomes of the votes on both of the draft laws.”

“We will accept the result of the vote on the Orthodox Gathering law, whether it is endorsed or not,” he declared.

Moreover, he also voiced his readiness to accept parliament's approval of the hybrid draft law that was agreed upon by the Lebanese Forces, Mustaqbal bloc, and MP Walid Jumblat's National Struggle Front.

Aoun warned that failure to reach an agreement over a new law will lead to the adoption of the 1960 electoral law for the elections or possibly lead to the extension of parliament's current term.

The Orthodox draft law, which considers Lebanon a single electoral district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system, is strongly backed by Hizbullah and the FPM.

It was initially approved by the FPM, Marada Movement, LF, and Phalange Party.

LF leader Samir Geagea announced last week however that his party no longer endorses the proposal because “it never had the chance to be adopted” due to the opposition to it by President Michel Suleiman, caretaker Premier Najib Miqati, the Mustaqbal Movement, and independent March 14 Christian MPs.

A parliament session was set to convene on May 15 in order to vote on the proposal, but the meeting was never held due to a lack of quorum.

A day before the session, the LF, Mustaqbal bloc, and National Struggle Front announced an agreement over a draft law that calls for 54 MPs to be elected under the winner-takes-all system and 46 percent via the proportional representation system.

The country would be divided into six governorates under proportionality and 27 districts under the winner-takes-all system.

Timeline
  • 21 May 2013, 17:12

    Aoun: I suggest that the LF law also be subject to a vote at parliament and we will accept whatever result is reached.

  • 21 May 2013, 17:12

    Aoun: I suggest that parliament vote on the Orthodox Gathering draft law. We will accept the outcome whether it is rejected or not.

  • 21 May 2013, 17:10

    Aoun: The Orthodox Gathering proposal was not approved at parliament because of a lack of quorum during last week's parliamentary session. The LF and its allies presented their own draft law, which was not approved or rejected.

  • 21 May 2013, 17:10

    Aoun: The elections will be held based on the 1960 law should we fail to agree on a new electoral law.

  • 21 May 2013, 17:02

    Aoun: We had reached an agreement with Bkriki in the past over the Orthodox Gathering electoral law and another one that adopts medium-sized districts, which was based on proportional representation.

  • 21 May 2013, 17:01

    FPM leader MP Michel Aoun after Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: We addressed the latest discussions on the electoral law. We don't know where these talks will lead us, but we must return to previous agreements.

SourceNaharnet
Comments 15
Thumb lebanon_first 21 May 2013, 17:48

You may like him or not. But GMA is talking sense here. We need to get these lazy parliamentarians to do their jobs and legislate for us and vote instead of spending their time boycotting.

Thumb primesuspect 21 May 2013, 18:48

Booking this spot for banima3roof !

Missing helicopter 22 May 2013, 04:24

lebanon_first. At first reading I thought like you. Let PMS vote and legislate instead of bickering in the media nad talking past each other. However, if having such a law is unconstitutional and will not get signed into law by Miqati and Sleiman then it is a mute move. In mmy opinion all our current political parties should be deemed unconstitutional but this is a different topic. Maybe just vote on the hybrid law and then either the 60's law stands or the hybrid law becomes the new standard.

Thumb beiruti 21 May 2013, 17:52

And he is silly enough to think that his agreement to the session is all that was needed for Berri to convene Parliament! Ha!! It's the Hezbollah veto, ya Aouni! The tail doesn't wag the dog.

More likely this is Aoun responding to the Geagea attack that Aoun really wants the 1960 law. So Aoun says this to counter Geagea. And while Aoun and Geagea fight over this with accusation and counter accusation, Hezbollah is the true obstruction. This is providing the cover for them.

Thumb primesuspect 21 May 2013, 18:00

He can keep his suggestions to himself. His opinion is meaningless and twisted....farsyirian.

Missing allouchi 21 May 2013, 18:03

blah blah blah...just go defend sitnah Zaynab with Hizbala in Qusayr...

Thumb mouallek 21 May 2013, 18:30

CHARADE.
A dix-huit ans j’ai quitté la boucherie,
Le bagage mince et le cœur gros,
Une voyante, en consultant les tarots,
M’a vu réussir dans une cartoucherie.
Chez le tailleur du coin j’ai fait faire
L’uniforme bleu qui était requis.
Il s’avéra, hélas, que rien n’était acquis :
Trop petit, recalé ; tout était à refaire.
Il me fallait tricher, j’ai appris à le faire.
Un gros piston m’aida et je fus engagé.
Leçons: Pas cadencé et comment rédiger
Une prose monotone aux vertus somnifères.
Je m'voyais déjà en haut de l'affiche,
En dix fois plus gros que n'importe qui.
Tout m’appartiendrait et me serait acquis,
Au haut de la hiérarchie, puissant et riche.
Pour y arriver j’ai fait n'importe quoi,
J’ai fait donner le canon contre des innocents,
J’ai trompé mon public, je me sentais puissant.
Pour arriver au but tout me semble adéquat.

Thumb mouallek 21 May 2013, 18:30

Suite
Courage, Fuyons ! Telle est ma devise,
En mensonges et calomnies je suis passé maître,
Trahisons et retournements sont mes paramètres,
Démagogie et haine sont ma marchandise.
Qui suis-je ?

Missing reformist 21 May 2013, 19:01

mouallek you are getting really boring. Get a life man, posting same silly things that noone reads on all posts doesn't help you ;-)
As MTV to advertize you as the next artist ;-)

Thumb mouallek 21 May 2013, 19:21

I am only trying to wake you up!

Thumb primesuspect 21 May 2013, 21:15

I translate it and read it. It's very funny although it doesn't ryme in spanish nor English.

Thumb arzak-ya-libnan 21 May 2013, 19:44

I agree. He finally makes sense. Let us put both laws up for vote. Isn't that the point of democracy after all? If one passes great. But the most realistic thing is neither of them will pass and we will go back to the 1960 law.

Missing samiam 21 May 2013, 23:48

my question is why it took 4 years to come up with these electoral proposals when they could have been done much earlier.

it seems this is more a grab on votes instead of a comprehensive and (perceived to be) fair electoral system.

Missing helicopter 22 May 2013, 04:30

kel wa2had baddou yfesal qanoon entekhab a3la @yaso

Missing maroun 22 May 2013, 14:38

the demented traitor is at it again ..he should retire to a psychiatric hospital in syria or iran..