Al-Rahi Urges Expats to Participate in 2013 Ballots

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi expressed hope that officials would agree on a modern electoral law that provides the best representation and achieves the ambitions of all Lebanese.

“The participation of Lebanese expatriates in the elections consolidate their ties and belonging to the nation,” al-Rahi said during a meeting with Australian speaker Peter Slipper in the presence of ambassador Lex Bartlem at his north Lebanon summer residence in Diman.

According to the National News Agency, the meeting tackled the Lebanese-Australian bilateral relations and the conditions of the Lebanese community in Australia.

The meeting also addressed the general developments in Lebanon and the region.

In April, the Lebanese cabinet approved a mechanism proposed by Foreign Minister Adnan Mansour that allows the Lebanese expats to cast their votes through their embassies or consulates.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel had proposed recently an electoral law based on proportional representation to be adopted in the 2013 parliamentary polls.

The proposition had sparked controversy among the rival political parties, as Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat rejected the proposal, while the March 8 forces have voiced their support for it.

The March 14-led opposition has meanwhile maintained its commitment to the amended 1960 law that was adopted during the 2009 parliamentary elections.