Change and Reform Says 'Procrastination' Won't Push It to Accept Extension or 1960 Law

The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc stressed Tuesday that “there will be no extension of the parliament's term or a return to the 1960 law.”

“Let no one believe or bet that procrastination will make us accept a de facto situation,” bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan said after Change and Reform's weekly meeting in Rabieh.

“We will give a chance and contribute in a positive and constructive manner to reach a solution, but this solution must respect equal power-sharing and transparency,” he added.

Kanaan also stressed that the new electoral law “must shift the political system and state institutions from the flawed situation to democratic, constitutional situation that conforms with the National Pact.”

“Throughout the next two weeks, there will be strenuous efforts to reach a positive result,” he promised.

Speaker Nabih Berri and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq have recently warned that the country seems to be heading to parliamentary elections under the controversial 1960 electoral law due to the parties' failure to agree on a new law.

Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially al-Mustaqbal Movement and the Progressive Socialist Party, have rejected the proposal, arguing that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious competition in the Iran-backed party's strongholds.

Mustaqbal, the Lebanese Forces and the PSP had proposed a hybrid electoral law that mixes the proportional representation and the winner-takes-all systems but the PSP eventually withdrew its support for the proposal.

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.