Suleiman Pushes for Deal on Hybrid Vote Law as Subcommittee Resumes Meetings

President Michel Suleiman has tasked former minister Khalil Hrawi to launch a new round of talks with the leaderships of the major political parties in an attempt to reach consensus on a new vote law.

Hrawi told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) that he will seek to bring the converging viewpoints of the leaders closer on a hybrid proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems.

Suleiman's efforts come as a parliamentary subcommittee resumes meetings on Tuesday to discuss the hybrid draft-law.

Hrawi said his mission does not replace the work of the subcommittee whose chairman, MP Robert Ghanem, told the same radio station that if there was a positive reaction by the members, then they would seek to reach consensus on the proposal.

But the meeting would be dubbed an “orphan” if each side continued to hold onto its stance.

The rival parties have failed to agree on a new vote law despite several proposals made.

Their failure forced parliament last week to suspend the deadlines applicable under the 1960 electoral law to give the parties more time to reach consensus.

The subcommittee was in October tasked with agreeing on a new electoral law over the rejection of the majority of political parties of the 1960 law that was used in the 2009 polls.

Its meetings came to a standstill in February when its members failed to reach an agreement on the new vote law. It referred its report to the joint parliamentary committees, which later adopted the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal despite the objection of al-Mustaqbal bloc, the National Struggle Front and the March 14 alliance's independent Christian MPs.

But the plan was earlier this month brought to a standstill by its supporters – the four major Christian parties – during a meeting they held under Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi in Bkirki.

The Free Patriotic Movement, the Lebanese Forces, the Phalange party and the Marada movement suspended the proposal in a bid to give rival groups a chance to agree on an alternative law.

But they also vowed not to run for elections under the 1960 law.