Jumblat Rejects Berri’s Proportionality Proposal, Calls for Radical Reform
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat rejected a proposal made by Speaker Nabih Berri to consider Lebanon a single electoral district in a proportional representation law that would be adopted in the upcoming parliamentary elections and lead to the establishment of a senate.
“Honestly, I am not excited for a senate now because if we want to implement the Taef Accord literally then the formation of the senate is linked to the abolishment of political confessionalism which I don’t think is appropriate for the time being,” Jumblat told As Safir daily published Thursday.
His statement came in response to an initiative made by Berri for the adoption of a draft-law that would consider Lebanon a single electoral district in the 2013 polls to form a parliament that would preserve the rights of sects and shares while limiting the high-level of sectarianism.
The parliamentary elections will be followed by the formation of a senate as stipulated by the Taef accord, the speaker said.
“I appreciate Berri’s keenness on finding a solution or a way out for the electoral law and I thank him on his proposal but it’s not practical because his suggestion is not in harmony with the Taef (agreement’s) text,” Jumblat told As Safir.
He also said he doesn’t see any interest in reconsidering the accord.
Jumblat reiterated his call for a “radical reform that would abolish political confessionalism” before the adoption of the draft-law on proportionality.
“I believe we are short of time for such a suggestion” which keeps the choice of “adopting the 1960 law that I still hold on to as the only realistic option,” he said.
19 April 2012, 08:48
42
Amazing joumblat you were for 20years in power with the late harriri in government and power
So u had. Enough time to apply Taef accord , why you did not even try to do it
But for elections you and the late harriri made a deal with the murderer ghazi Kanaan for a tailored law to guarantee your stay in power
19 April 2012, 13:22
02
jumblat is like the shia in the middle east: trying to swim afloat.
the great satan helped them in irak to take power and now they are bargaining with the same great satan ,for their share of power in the gulf , after bashar there is hassoun's head on the table.
19 April 2012, 21:29
00
Mustapha, the Great Satan intention was to stay in Iraq and even after the troops leave to install an American/Israeli puppet regime like ALL the ARAB Sunni head of states, but the Iraqi people resisted. I am a secular person and I (usually) do not use sectarian language, but at least Bashar and Hassouni represent their followers, the Sunni Arab head of states are in bed with America/Israel even though most Sunnis in ALL polls consider America a "threat" and not Iran!
19 April 2012, 13:46
13
It is amazing that this men and his likes are the source of the problem of our country and they pretend that they want to change the status qua. The status quo will not change until the ordinary Lebanese wakes up and stops supporting any of those murderers!
19 April 2012, 17:46
01
lots of your M8 friends will then be on exile too, ever thought of that? LOL
19 April 2012, 15:23
03
I´d like to ask somethiing, let´s say sectarianism is abolished . What will happen after mean the politicans would remain the same and the peole are still used to elect politicans from their faith. Maybe I missinterpreted something but if we really wanna abolish sectarianism we have to start to abolish it from heads right ?
19 April 2012, 15:38
02
Jumblat reiterated his call for a “radical reform that would abolish political confessionalism” before the adoption of the draft-law on proportionality. I like this idea. It could mean Lebanon is saved.
19 April 2012, 17:49
01
"the formation of the senate is linked to the abolishment of political confessionalism which I don’t think is appropriate for the time being" ...
LOL so when will abolition of confessionalism be appropriate?
all those lebanese politicians agree with him cause abolition of political confessionalism will be their end!!! all their nasty politics are based on religion and on the fear of the others to better hold their privileges... just like in middle ages!
19 April 2012, 18:43
01
Fatoush. The main problem with political confessionalism now in Lebanon is that the division of spoils, shares, does not reflect demographics. Shiites alone may be half the population. Muslims are seventy percent or more of the population. Yet Christians and Muslims receive equal shares of parliament. Let people vote as they want, but make all votes equal.
20 April 2012, 03:39
00
Apply 'democracy' 'sacred' principle 'one man one vote' and you'll get what you'll get. Going secular, yeah? Cool, most certainly the national ongoing trance government will improve its performance, now deeply impaired by that curious hybrid named M14. Not incidently there's a national resistance in Lebanon on everyday grounds, real politics for once, not the mere puppeteering one is dealing in economically beleagued westernmost Europe, for instance.
Being at odds with "Israel" designs and what they represent in this all to connected world is quite the lead, only one elsewhere also could improve our resolve to get rid of the plutocracy that haunts us all.
