Intense Consultations Ahead of Wednesday's Meeting on Electoral Law

The March 8 majority alliance and March 14 opposition officials intensified separate talks on Monday, two days ahead of a meeting of joint parliamentary committees on an electoral draft law.

Al-Mustaqbal bloc leader Fouad Saniora visited Baabda palace for talks with President Michel Suleiman on several proposals and “the importance of agreeing on a modern electoral law that produces political plurality in line with the constitution,” a presidential statement said.

Suleiman held separate talks with opposition MP Michel Pharaon on “the need to agree on an advanced law that produces the right and fair representation for all factions,” the statement said.

Several lawmakers and independent politicians also visited the president on Monday and announced their rejection of the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal that calls for a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own MPs under a proportional representation system, it added.

Around 16 March 8 majority lawmakers met in parliament on Monday to coordinate their stances ahead of the joint committees meeting, Change and Reform bloc MP Ibrahim Kanaan said.

A nine-member subcommittee will meet on Tuesday to approve the report on the results of its discussions after its failure in more than two weeks of deliberations to agree on an electoral draft-law.

It has examined the draft-law proposed by the cabinet, the Orthodox Gathering proposal, a draft-law that would divide Lebanon into 50 small districts, and a hybrid suggestion made by Speaker Nabih Berri that combines the proportional representation with winner-takes-all systems.

Its failure to find common ground has prompted Berri to call for a meeting of joint parliamentary committees.

Al-Mustaqbal hasn't yet announced whether it would take part in the meeting in line with its decision in October to boycott all government-related activity.

But its March 14 allies, the Lebanese Forces and the Phalange Party, have said they will participate in the talks.