Qabalan Reiterates Calls for Proportional Representation Electoral Law
The deputy head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, Sheikh Abdul Amir Qabalan urged Lebanon's politicians to work hard to produce a new electoral law that fulfills just representation, the National News Agency reported Friday.
“Politicians must work hard to devise a new electoral law that achieves just representation and reflects the aspirations of the Lebanese people to choose their representatives (in the parliament),” said Qabalan in a speech during the Friday prayer.
“That is why we have asked and still call for the adoption of a proportional representation law considering Lebanon a single electoral district, which allows a Muslim Lebanese to elect his Christian brother and a Christian can elect his Muslim brother in order to make Lebanon a country of true partnership without partiality to any of its components,” concluded Qabalan.
Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially al-Mustaqbal Movement, have rejected the proposal and argued that the party's controversial arsenal of arms would prevent serious competition in regions where the Iran-backed party is influential.
Mustaqbal, the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party have meanwhile proposed a hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and the winner-takes-all systems. Speaker Nabih Berri has also proposed a hybrid law.
The country has not voted for a parliament since 2009, with the legislature instead twice extending its own mandate.
The 2009 polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next elections are scheduled for May 2017.
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