Raad Says Electoral Law Must be Fully Based on Proportional Representation to Achieve 'Change'

The head of Hizbullah's Loyalty to Resistance bloc MP Mohammed Raad stressed Monday that only an electoral law fully based on the proportional representation system can achieve “change” in the country.

“Hizbullah rejects any electoral law that doesn't respect the balances stipulated by the constitution and the Document of National Accord and any electoral law that doesn't preserve coexistence and equal power-sharing,” Raad said, underlining that the law should also achieve “correct and effective representation.”

“We are before a juncture that could contribute to improving the country's situations... Hizbullah is not obstructing any electoral law format but rather obstructing the formats that do not want an electoral law and that want to turn Lebanon into a farm whose shares are distributed to cronies,” Raad added.

“When we insist on an electoral law fully based on proportional representation we do that because we want correct representation and because we're convinced that only an electoral law fully based on proportional representation can achieve correct representation,” the MP stressed.

“We can later discuss the issue of expanded electoral districts if you want. This is not out of intransigence but rather because we are fully convinced that there is a chance at this time to achieve the needed change,” Raad went on to say.

Noting that change is not a “slogan” but rather a “practice and an equation,” the lawmaker said change cannot be achieved through “preserving the previous sizes” of the parliamentary blocs.

“Change also doesn't necessitate curbing the previous sizes or exaggerating some of the future sizes,” Raad added.

Earlier in the day, Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil proposed a hybrid electoral law under which 64 MPs would be elected according to the proportional representation system and 64 others would be elected by their respective sects under a winner-takes-all system.

Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional representation but al-Mustaqbal Movement and Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat have both rejected the proposal.

Mustaqbal argues that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds while Jumblat has warned that such an electoral system would “marginalize” the minority Druze community whose presence is concentrated in the Chouf and Aley areas.