Cabinet Seeks to Overcome Bumpy Road of Proportional Representation

A strong support by Hizbullah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement ministers to an electoral draft law based on a system of proportional representation will likely lead to major clashes between them and the Progressive Socialist Party which prefers the winner-takes-all system.

During a cabinet session chaired by President Michel Suleiman at Baabda palace on Tuesday, the ministers representing Hizbullah, Amal and the FPM expressed their backing to the draft law proposed by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel.

But Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is loyal to PSP chief Walid Jumblat, expressed a lot of reservations on the draft law, stressing on a comprehensive reform rather than seeing proportionality as the only option and drafting an elections law on its basis.

Charbel calls in the draft law for the division of Lebanon into 10 to 14 medium-sized districts that would be larger than a qada but smaller than a governorate.

“We don’t mind to discuss the issue of proportionality but the comprehensive reform should be the goal and not proportionality,” Abou Faour told the cabinet.

The discussions also focused on lowering the voting age to 18.

Cabinet ministers then mulled to either form a ministerial committee to study the draft law and suggest amendments, or hold more sessions to discuss it.

They later agreed to hold consecutive sessions – one or two to discuss the draft law and another one or two to make deliberations on the draft 2012 state budget.

The first session to discuss the details of Charbel’s suggestion would be on November 11 after the Eid al-Adha holidays.

The ministers decided to complete the discussions on the electoral draft law by December, which if achieved, it would be seen as a major accomplishment.

According to As Safir daily, President Michel Suleiman was the person behind the initiative to propose proportional representation to lay the groundwork for future discussions on it and adopt an electoral law as soon as possible.

During the session, Miqati did not announce his support for the draft law but said the cabinet should speed up its approval of a law that would ensure a real and just parliamentary representation.