Parliament to Form Subcommittee to Study Appropriate Electoral System in Lebanon

Deputy Speaker Farid Makari proposed the formation of a subcommittee to study whether to adopt the winner-takes-all or proportional representation systems and the size of the electoral districts in the new parliamentary electoral law and to carry out consultations with the rival political parties over the matter..

Speaker Nabih Berri agreed to Makari's suggestion as long as the joint parliamentary committees continue discussing the remaining articles in the draft law referred by the cabinet.

The government approved in August a parliamentary electoral law based on proportional representation and 13 electoral districts.

“I am waiting for the political rivals to state their final stances from the electoral draft law before I give my final word” Berri said in comments published in As Safir newspaper.

According to An Nahar newspaper, the proposed subcommittee will be formed of 10 members and will include representatives of the main political parties and independents.

March 14 alliance MP Marwan Hamadeh told An Nahar newspaper that the the subcommittee should consult rival sides to reach common grounds over the matter.

The daily said that joint parliamentary committees will postpone its sessions after Thursday's meeting due to the absence of Makari and Justice Committee Chairman MP Robert Ghanem, who are traveling on private vacations for 10 days.

For his part, Prime Minister Najib Miqati reiterated to As Safir that the government's electoral draft law is the “best choice,” as all the other proposals will lead to a “national disaster.”

He stressed that he rejects the small-sized districts proposal, pointing out that Bkirki's stance is vital in this matter.

The opposition's proposal made by MPs George Adwan, Sami Gemayel and Butros Harb supports the formation of 50 small-sized districts in a winner-takes-all system, while a plan suggested by FPM chief Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc allows every sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system with Lebanon as a single district.

Tuesday's joint parliamentary committees session witnessed a spat between MPs over which electoral system to adopt for the upcoming 2013 elections.