Activists Rally in Beirut to Slam Approval of Orthodox Vote Law
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
A group of civil society activists staged a sit-in on Tuesday near the parliament in downtown Beirut to condemn the preliminary approval of a draft electoral law they believe will aggravate the sectarian tensions in Lebanon.
The youth organization of the Democratic Renewal Movement and the movement's secretary Antoine Haddad took part in the protest. Haddad warned that the Orthodox Gathering's electoral proposal -- under which each sect would elect its own representatives -- “would drag us several centuries into the past and strip Lebanese citizens of their right to vote for a candidate who doesn't belong to their own sect.”
Activist Nadine Mouawwad said: “We were surprised by the parliamentary committees' decision concerning the electoral law and we consider all proposals and discussions illegitimate, especially that they have added six parliamentary seats while claiming that they cannot fund the new wage scale.”
“They approved the Orthodox proposal which creates discrimination among citizens and they want us to vote like sheep. We are against this proposal and we demand a civil state that can achieve the aspirations of all the Lebanese,” Mouawwad added.
Protesters briefly blocked the road outside the building of Beirut Municipality.
Meanwhile, the Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform issued a sharp-toned statement titled “The Orthodox Gathering Proposal Will Not Pass.”
“Today, Lebanon was dragged into the circle of danger and the threat of partitioning started to loom on the horizon, after the Lebanese went through 15 years of civil war,” the statement said.
And as it described the proposal as the “biggest farce,” the statement said “the insolence of several political forces has reached the extent of blowing up the principle of coexistence, the unified state and the principles of national partnership for the purpose of securing a number of extra parliamentary seats.”
“Passing this law in parliament would be a dangerous step that has repercussions on Lebanon's stability and civil peace, and should this law be put to a vote in parliament, all the civil, political and syndical forces that reject it will escalate protests to prevent taking the country into partitioning or a new civil war,” it added.
Earlier on Tuesday, the joint parliamentary committees approved the Orthodox Gathering proposal, amid a walkout by the lawmakers of al-Mustaqbal bloc, the National Struggle Front and some independent March 14 MPs.
The proposal calls for dividing Lebanon into a single electoral district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system.
19 February 2013, 22:55
42
genius- this law prevents people from voting freely as they are only allowed to vote for a single sect.
20 February 2013, 18:26
00
Habbib FT- replace the words "shia" and "sunni" with "Lebanese" in your statement and see if it makes any sense. We need to let go of our fears and work as Lebanese for human rights and not shia/sunni/druze/christian/etc.. rights.
BTW- "these people" are not politicians. it's not their job submit any law. That's the elected officials' job. It is however their right to demand they be treated equally based on their humanity and not their religion.
20 February 2013, 00:12
00
But if the goal is to get ppl to let go of sectarianism u have to start somewhere. Institutionalizing it might not be a step forward. But again, that's if the goal is to end sectarianism. Partition is plan b I guess.
19 February 2013, 23:31
20
@lebanonfirst
Stop being a politically corrected coward Sir, Lebanon is partitioned and has been throughout its history, there has been Christian, Muslim and Druze slaughter for 1400years, wake up and smell the coffee mate.
20 February 2013, 00:04
22
Mr. Phoenician. Who is the coward? The person that accepts sectarianism because it's been around for 1400 years or the person who stands against it because he believes it's 300 years overdue?
Just as an FYI- My beliefs come before political correctness. Also, you don't know me at all to attack me personally Sir. So I suggest you stick to contesting my arguments.
19 February 2013, 23:46
12
You are right. They look like Al Qaeda sympathizers to me, especially some of the lovely women attending. And we all know, men with no beard is one of the main characteristics of Al Qaeda sympathizers.
20 February 2013, 01:48
00
My friends, my compatriots, my hopeless hopefuls, millions upon millions marched uselessly. Do you remember those carnivals? Well, it is fair to say that this latest one will be... well... umm... duh... just as useless? Mafia Hariri is being dismantled. Rejoice, decent Lebanese.
20 February 2013, 02:02
10
@karim_m1
Oh boy karim_m1, get off it will you? I argued in another post that agree or disagree one must abide by the majority democratic vote.
By the same token, no one who opposes any law that one disagrees with deserves the low level language that you keep spouting. For Christ's sake grow up man.
20 February 2013, 15:18
00
stupidest law ever. instead of moving forward this country is once again going back...
this stupid laws only means that MPs are working to defend the interests of their own sect and not the interests of lebanese...
better partition this country then in christian zones chia zones druze zones and so on and let each incompetent sect leader rule their zone!
if a christian wants to vote for a sunni or a chia his RIGHT IS DENIED! he will be forced to vote only for a christian....and they call that democracy? LOL!!!
the politicians should set the example and change things! they should be the progressive ones and work for secularism even against the will of the citizens if they are truly visionaires! but what do we have? middle aged politicians working for themselves only...
secularism is in the taef agreement but none seem to have read it in 30 years...
it s a shame to be lebanese today.....
20 February 2013, 16:27
00
the only thing to do is become atheist or to do like khouloud and nidal, erase the mention of your religion...
or become jew then you can vote for whoever you want!
"In the name of God We, Muslims and Christians, Pledge that united we shall remain to the end of time to better defend our Lebanon"
we are far from what gebran tueni dreamed of...
this country has become schizophrene....
20 February 2013, 19:17
01
Wow ... 300 people ... Hariri has more than that on his payroll ...
