Change and Reform 'Welcomes Any Dialogue between Political Forces'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Change and Reform bloc welcomed on Tuesday “any dialogue between the political forces in Lebanon.”
Former Minister Salim Jreissati hailed after the bloc's weekly meeting the expected Mustaqbal Movement – Hizbullah dialogue, saying that bloc chief MP Michel Aoun had been open to the Movement.
He hoped that this openness would lead to “actual partnership between all popular factions in national decision-making processes.”
The Change and Reform bloc also renewed its demand for an interpretation of article 24 of the constitution, which it said would pave the way to approving a new parliamentary electoral law.
Jreissati questioned how Aoun's demand for the interpretation would be ignored with the excuse of a lack of quorum at parliament.
In November, Aoun had sent a letter to Speaker Nabih Berri asking him to schedule a parliamentary session aimed at “interpreting Article 24, which stipulates equality between Christians and Muslims in the electoral law.”
A parliamentary subcommittee has so far failed to approve a new electoral law.
The Lebanese Forces announced its withdrawal from the subcommittee until a session to vote on a draft-law is scheduled.
The subcommittee is discussing several proposals, the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal, a draft-law that divides Lebanon into 50 districts based on a winner-takes-all system, in addition to the hybrid suggestion made by Berri.
The 11-member parliamentary subcommittee tasked with discussing several electoral law proposal kicked off meetings recently, in light of the extension of the parliament’s tenure, in an attempt to reach consensus over a hybrid electoral draft-law.
The March 8 and 14 alliances are represented in the committee, which was granted a one-month ultimatum by Berri to reach consensus.
M.T.
23 December 2014, 17:50
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22 minutes ago Ex-Minister Salim Jreissati after Change and Reform bloc's weekly meeting: MP Michel Aoun hoped that the Christmas spirit would spurn officials to respect the National Pact.
I am not sure what to make out of Aoun's call for others to respect the national pact. Insane!!!
23 December 2014, 20:39
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“interpreting Article 24, which stipulates equality between Christians and Muslims in the electoral law.”
The thirty percent Lebanese who are supposedly Christian are equal to the seventy percent who are supposedly Muslim, so that each group gets half of Parliament.
You say, there are more Christians than just thirty percent? Let's have a census. You say that a census would destabilize Lebanon by provoking controversy? Could Lebanon be any more unstable? You say Christians will start a civil war if their privileges are tampered with? And that the Western Europeans and the Gulf monarchs will help them fight?
The only thing missing in Lebanese politics is a civil rights movement within the majority Shia community--why not? Do they like being treated as slaves ("three fifths of other persons not taxed" as it used to say in the US Constitution)?
