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The Daily Star (Lebanon)
November 28, 2014 Friday
Gulf between blocs delays electoral law
by Hasan Lakkis
A political consensus among the country's rival factions is essential
for reaching an agreement over a new electoral law.
BEIRUT: A political consensus among the country's rival factions is
essential for reaching an agreement over a new electoral law. This was
the conclusion after four meetings held by a parliamentary
subcommittee tasked with considering several draft electoral
proposals. The 11-member subcommittee, representing March 8 and March
14 lawmakers, met Thursday in Parliament for the fourth time in a bid
to bridge the wide gulf over what electoral law to adopt to replace
the 1960 electoral system deemed unfair by the Christian community.
Following Thursday's meeting, there were no signals indicating that
the panel would be able to successfully accomplish its mission during
the one-month deadline set by Speaker Nabih Berri, which expires at
the end of December.
Subcommittee members all agreed that in the absence of a political
agreement among the March 8 and March 14 blocs, it would be difficult
to approve a new electoral law.
"If a political consensus is reached, a new electoral law can be
approved in one day," Future MP Serge Torsarkissian, a subcommittee
member, said after the meeting.
MP Robert Ghanem, who chaired the subcommittee's meeting, said the
lawmakers had begun discussing, as per Berri's request, a proposal
presented by MP Ali Bazzi, which calls for the election of half of
Parliament's 128 members on the basis of proportional representation
and the other half according to the winner-take-all system. Bazzi
belongs to Berri's parliamentary bloc.
"From this proposal, we raise opinions and ideas and we might reach a
consensus or an amendment of this proposal by consensus, which would
then mean we have achieved a result," Ghanem told reporters after the
meeting.
Ghanem, the head of the Parliamentary Justice and Administration
Committee, said the subcommittee was not a decision-making body and
the final decision would be made by Parliament's general assembly by
the end of December.
Subcommittee members have been voicing their opinions about a new
electoral law, which would take into account firstly the necessity for
fair representation for Sunnis, Shiites and Druze, and secondly the
special stature of the Christians, Ghanem said.
"These concerns or special statures should be taken into account when
approaching any electoral law or proposal," he added.
Ghanem said the panel would meet in the middle of next week when MP
Marwan Hamade, a subcommittee member, returned to Lebanon.
He said the panel would begin discussing next week the issues of how
many electoral districts Lebanon should have in any electoral law, and
how proportional representation and a winner-takes-all system could be
combined.
"If we agree on the districts, we will be able to decide on the issue
of proportional representation and the winner-takes-all system in
every district, after which we move to the governorates," Ghanem said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, MP Hagop Pakradounian, a
subcommittee member representing the Tashnag Party, said the panel's
members respected sectarian balances and the special stature of the
Sunnis, Shiites, Druze and the Christian representation.
"As we respect the special stature [of all sects] ... we call on the
other parties to respect the Armenian special stature and the Armenian
political parties in areas where Armenians live," he said.
MP Michel Aoun, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, has asked Berri
for a Parliament session to interpret Article 24 in the Constitution
pertaining to equality in parliamentary representation between Muslims
and Christians before discussing any electoral law.
The subcommittee has resumed its meetings, after lawmakers earlier
this month extended Parliament's mandate for two years and seven
months. It had failed in several rounds of talks in the past to reach
agreement on a new electoral law due to the rival factions'
conflicting views.
November 28, 2014 Friday
Gulf between blocs delays electoral law
by Hasan Lakkis
A political consensus among the country's rival factions is essential
for reaching an agreement over a new electoral law.
BEIRUT: A political consensus among the country's rival factions is
essential for reaching an agreement over a new electoral law. This was
the conclusion after four meetings held by a parliamentary
subcommittee tasked with considering several draft electoral
proposals. The 11-member subcommittee, representing March 8 and March
14 lawmakers, met Thursday in Parliament for the fourth time in a bid
to bridge the wide gulf over what electoral law to adopt to replace
the 1960 electoral system deemed unfair by the Christian community.
Following Thursday's meeting, there were no signals indicating that
the panel would be able to successfully accomplish its mission during
the one-month deadline set by Speaker Nabih Berri, which expires at
the end of December.
Subcommittee members all agreed that in the absence of a political
agreement among the March 8 and March 14 blocs, it would be difficult
to approve a new electoral law.
"If a political consensus is reached, a new electoral law can be
approved in one day," Future MP Serge Torsarkissian, a subcommittee
member, said after the meeting.
MP Robert Ghanem, who chaired the subcommittee's meeting, said the
lawmakers had begun discussing, as per Berri's request, a proposal
presented by MP Ali Bazzi, which calls for the election of half of
Parliament's 128 members on the basis of proportional representation
and the other half according to the winner-take-all system. Bazzi
belongs to Berri's parliamentary bloc.
"From this proposal, we raise opinions and ideas and we might reach a
consensus or an amendment of this proposal by consensus, which would
then mean we have achieved a result," Ghanem told reporters after the
meeting.
Ghanem, the head of the Parliamentary Justice and Administration
Committee, said the subcommittee was not a decision-making body and
the final decision would be made by Parliament's general assembly by
the end of December.
Subcommittee members have been voicing their opinions about a new
electoral law, which would take into account firstly the necessity for
fair representation for Sunnis, Shiites and Druze, and secondly the
special stature of the Christians, Ghanem said.
"These concerns or special statures should be taken into account when
approaching any electoral law or proposal," he added.
Ghanem said the panel would meet in the middle of next week when MP
Marwan Hamade, a subcommittee member, returned to Lebanon.
He said the panel would begin discussing next week the issues of how
many electoral districts Lebanon should have in any electoral law, and
how proportional representation and a winner-takes-all system could be
combined.
"If we agree on the districts, we will be able to decide on the issue
of proportional representation and the winner-takes-all system in
every district, after which we move to the governorates," Ghanem said.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, MP Hagop Pakradounian, a
subcommittee member representing the Tashnag Party, said the panel's
members respected sectarian balances and the special stature of the
Sunnis, Shiites, Druze and the Christian representation.
"As we respect the special stature [of all sects] ... we call on the
other parties to respect the Armenian special stature and the Armenian
political parties in areas where Armenians live," he said.
MP Michel Aoun, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, has asked Berri
for a Parliament session to interpret Article 24 in the Constitution
pertaining to equality in parliamentary representation between Muslims
and Christians before discussing any electoral law.
The subcommittee has resumed its meetings, after lawmakers earlier
this month extended Parliament's mandate for two years and seven
months. It had failed in several rounds of talks in the past to reach
agreement on a new electoral law due to the rival factions'
conflicting views.