Report: Jumblat May Accept Hybrid Electoral Law on Condition of Forming Senate
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat voiced his openness to the adoption of an electoral draft law that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems, reported the daily An Nahar on Saturday.
He was reported as saying that he advocates the hybrid law on condition that the process of establishing a senate begin, revealing that he had informed President Michel Suleiman and Prime Minister Najib Miqati of this position.
Speaker Nabih Berri has also started to examine the possibility of achieving this demand, revealed the daily.
Observers said that the speaker is expected to expand his consultations to that end with various political powers in order to guarantee that the parliamentary elections are held as scheduled in June.
Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan voiced his rejection however of studying the possibility of the formation of a senate.
He told An Nahar: “Discussions over a senate can only take place after the election of a new parliament.”
Moreover, he revealed that countries concerned with the situation in Lebanon had said that “there is no justification for the failure to hold the elections on time” in June.
“None of these states will however intervene to assist the factions in ending their dispute over the electoral law,” he remarked.
The proposal over the hybrid law was proposed during the parliamentary subcommittee meetings over the past two weeks.
The meetings failed in reaching an agreement over a new electoral law, amid disputes between the March 8 and 14 camps over the various draft law proposals.
26 January 2013, 09:36
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What if I told you that you can have whichever electoral law you wish for and in the end the Lebanese people will still lose, there is only one solution for this problem: a full scale revolution by free patriotic secular Lebanese citizens who genuinely wish for a better Lebanon for our children and children's children... everyone just get your heads out of the sand and realize that we are puny pawns to the "big guys" and that without our support they are just ignorant ranting mad men who we only listen to for our entertainment.
26 January 2013, 10:22
00
1-Why would it be a "condition" if the Taef accord stipulates the formation of a senate in the first place?
2-Why would Berri even "examine the possibility of achieving this demand" at this instance? Could it be possible he knows beforehand that he he will be once again elected as Speaker of the House (surprise, surprise)?
Thus, it possibly does not matter which law is chosen, as the results will be the same.
a)The same class shall govern once more
b)The - hungry -people will accept bribes and ultimately start nagging again at the corrupt class that is sinking this country. That's what we do. That's what we're good at because we ARE double standards.
c)All things equal, it is not our politicians that need to change, but rather the people. Good luck with that
26 January 2013, 11:14
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Mr joumblat and moustaqbal
all the people want to here
are you with or against the rightfull representation of christians????
this is the question to be answered and the answer of this question will directly solve the election law
26 January 2013, 12:34
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Good! the idea of a senate is maybe, just maybe starting to get some traction.
26 January 2013, 18:48
01
A bicameral system might help transform our farm into a functioning country :-)
27 January 2013, 15:55
00
is it zionist to have a senate house habibi.. walla 3alla2it ma3ak inta
26 January 2013, 13:54
01
I couldn't have said better. It is basically what the de facto system of Lebanon is: sectarian federalism. It is federalism based on sects instead of states or cantons.
26 January 2013, 17:23
10
the filthy zionist scum would like to bring out idea of federalism again
26 January 2013, 15:18
22
No more sectarian crap, and we'll all live in peace with each other. inter religious marriages is the key.
27 January 2013, 16:02
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you and the zionist man.. if some one is calling to live in peace will be a zion. are you kidding me.
26 January 2013, 17:17
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a senate? LOL!!! they whine that the state is bankrupt and don t have money to raise salaries but they can find money to pay new salaries to a useless new institution! LOL!!!
lebanon does not need a senate: it needs efficient selfless MPs working for the interests of the nation not their own interests.....
26 January 2013, 17:22
30
?
may bashar returns??????????????????
wtf????
and you were so called m14 supporter????
i am supporter of our glorious resistance but would never call for the return of syrian army
26 January 2013, 18:29
01
just because you spend a lot of time fornicating your women and marry as many as you could would give you a population lead - in the end its quality and not quantity that would count. history speaks to itself
26 January 2013, 17:22
40
the filthy zionist scum would give 7 places to 5% of lebanese population, hillarious
26 January 2013, 17:55
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Are you being funny or what? Where did you get these numbers from?
7 druze for 5% of the population and 8 for 20%. It should be based on statistics. The only rule is the protection of christians by giving them 50%. Within that 50%, it should be based on population proportion. The head of the senate shall be a minority & his role is to manage the sessions. The authority of the senate shall be limited to constitutional issues, nothing more or less.
Laws & rules are voted in by parliament, the senate's job is to confirm or refuse these laws if not constitutional(based on human rights charter).
The candidate to the senate
-Must have a high level degree
-A judge (civil or religious)
-An respected intellectual
-Must have the endorsement of 10,000 of his#her sect.
-Senate is elected every 8 years mid-parliament
-Exceptionally, first senate shall be elected a month before parliamentary elections for 6 yrs.
