Charbel Awaits Parliament Decision on Electoral Draft-Law to Make Own Proposal

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Friday he would propose an electoral draft-law that combines suggestions made by several parties in parliament if the assembly failed to approve the bill referred to it by the government.

In remarks to al-Liwaa daily, Charbel said he was waiting for the fate of the cabinet's bill to propose his own version of an electoral draft-law that is based on holding the elections on two stages.

In the first stage, each sect would choose the candidates from its own confession based on proportional representation and in the second stage the electorates would choose lists based on a majority representation.

While hoping the polls would be held on time, Charbel reiterated that he had given a deadline to parliament to complete discussions on a draft-law in early 2013 to allow his ministry to carry out the logistics preparations for the elections.

The government's draft law approved in August is based on proportional representation and 13 electoral districts.

However, a proposal made by several March 14 opposition alliance MPs supports 50 small-sized districts in a winner-takes-all system, while a plan suggested by the Change and Reform bloc from the March 8 majority coalition allows every sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system with Lebanon as a single district.

March 8 has blamed the opposition for the failure to adopt an electoral draft-law after March 14 boycotted all parliamentary activity following the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Bureau chief Wissam al-Hasan.

“The boycott of the March 14 lawmakers is preventing the adoption of a new (electoral) law,” Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan told Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) on Friday.

“The boycott is similar to (committing) a crime, and assassinating the electoral law,” he said.