Adwan Says 'Turning Back is Impossible', Vote Law Will be Approved

Lebanese Forces deputy leader MP George Adwan emphasized that political parties have no choice but to agree on a new parliamentary electoral law because it has become “impossible to turn back,” al-Joumhouria daily reported on Tuesday.

“In spite of everything said, we have no choice but to agree on a new law because all other options are destructive to the country's economy and stability. We have no choice because turning back now is impossible,” Adwan told the daily before he joined an evening meeting at the Grand Serail on Monday.

“Mistaken are those who believe that we have other choices, or those who believe that we have a choice to either reach a new law or reach vacuum. Wisdom obliges us to agree because vacuum means there will be no parliament, no government, no economy and no money. Who has a rational mind to work in that direction?” he asked.

“For our part, we will push through until an agreement is reached,” pointed the MP.

Referring to some details that still need to be discussed, Adwan said the decision will be left to the cabinet to run a vote on the controversial details.

“The law will be approved because it is impossible to turn back. Some major technical details still need to be covered, but we won't allow that to obstruct the vote law. We have come a long way. The decision will be left to the cabinet in a manner that simulates voting,” he said.

The meeting overnight at the Grand Serail gathered PM Saad Hariri, Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, Speaker Nabih Berri's aide Ali Hassan Khalil, Hizbullah secretary-general's assistant Hussein al-Khalil, MP George Adwan and Prime Minister Saad Hariri's adviser Nader Hariri.

Adwan had stressed in remarks published Sunday that parliament will pass the new electoral law in its Friday session. This requires the approval of the draft electoral law during Wednesday's cabinet session.

Adwan has played a key role in promoting a draft electoral law fully based on the proportional representation system and 15 electoral districts.

The parties have agreed on the law's general format but they are still discussing the mechanism of counting votes going for so-called preferred candidates on the electoral ballots and whether it should depend on the electoral districts or the administrative districts.

The Free Patriotic Movement argues that counting preferred votes in the smaller administrative districts would grant Christians a higher ability to choose their representatives with their own votes.