Saniora, Gemayel Discuss Electoral Law, Need to Hold Elections on Time

The head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora held talks on the parliamentary elections with Phalange Party chief Amin Gemayel, reported the National News Agency on Tuesday.

It said that the two officials addressed electoral law discussions and the need to hold the elections, scheduled for June, on time.

In addition, they stressed the need to reach an agreement over a law that “ensures correct representation of all sides and guarantees national partnership.”

Accompanying Saniora were MPs Ahmed Fatfat and former Minister Mohammed Shatah, while MP Sami Gemayel represented the Phalange Party at the meeting.

On Sunday, Saniora had discussed with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi the latest developments on the Lebanese scene, particularly ways to end the electoral law crisis.

"Saniora praised al-Rahi's wisdom in dealing with the current crisis and his commitment to higher national interest,” Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said Monday, elaborating that both men discussed the importance of religious coexistence in the country.

The joint parliamentary committees on Tuesday approved the so-called Orthodox Gathering's electoral draft law amid opposition by a number of officials.

President Michel Suleiman, Prime Minister Najib Miqati, MP Walid Jumblat's National Struggle Front, the Mustaqbal Movement, and independent Christian March 14 figures had rejected it, saying that it fuels sectarianism.

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.