Geagea Considers Holding Elections Based on 1960 Law a 'Treason'
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Lebanese Force leader Samir Geagea said on Tuesday that the parliament should convene to vote on an electoral law, describing attempts to hold elections based on the 1960 electoral law as “treason.”
“The caretaker cabinet session is unconstitutional and a charade,” Geagea said in comments published in An Nahar newspaper.
But caretaker Prime Minister Najib Miqati snapped back, saying in a statement that he called for the cabinet session after consulting with President Michel Suleiman out of the conviction that the government should remain committed to the constitution.
Geagea expressed surprise that Hizbullah, AMAL and the Free Patriotic Movement agreed to attend a meeting for the caretaker cabinet, which witnessed the formation of an independent authority to oversee the elections.
“Two months ago the three parties threatened to topple the cabinet over the matter,” Geagea said.
He pointed out that his party favors extending the parliamentary tenure for several months over holding the elections according to the 1960 law.
Geagea accused Hizbullah of seeking to extend the parliament’s mandate by two years as it is “deeply involved militarily in Syria while its ally the FPM thinks it would be able to win according to the 1960 law.”
On Friday, 26 members of the Lebanese Forces arrived at the Interior Ministry to submit their candidacies for upcoming elections based on the 1960 electoral law.
The support for the extension of the legislature's term that expires on June 20 began growing after the rival parties failed to agree on a new electoral law despite the adoption of the Orthodox plan by the joint parliamentary committees.
The plan considers Lebanon a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system.
But its criticism paved way for another proposal that combines the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems
Despite all the efforts no agreement was reached to replace the 1960 law, which adopts the qada an electoral district and is based on the winner-takes-all system.
28 May 2013, 09:16
29
In the end, I have to admit Gaegae is/was right. How can a caretaker government approve yesterday the electoral committee to oversea the elections under the 1960 law, when the same government ( prior to its resignation) failed to approve the same. How can we forget the FPM minister saying in that infamous cabinet meeting 2-3 months ago: " No Ashraf (referring to Rifi) and No Ishraaf (referring to the committee overseeing the election"?
It appears from the beginning, the FPM and its allies were planning to have the elections according to the 1960 law or a parliament extension. Protecting Christians rights huh..:)
28 May 2013, 14:04
01
The elections should go forward ... It is painfully obvious that the current leadership namely Mikati and Suleiman need to be replaced with leaders that will take charge of the security forces and place them in a proactive stance.
Tripoli has been raging for weeks yet this leadership has done nothing to halt the violence. Many steps could have been taken including a curfew and warrants for arrest of known perpetrators. Instead Mikati and Suleiman use the situation in Tripoli to benefit chaos.
28 May 2013, 14:37
11
Suleiman is a tool of foreign interests. The killings in Arsal show all the signs of a special ops detail by foreign forces. As and you say he says nothing ...
Then there is Tripoli where many measures including a curfew and arrest warrants could be implemented. Suleiman has abandoned his loyalty to the Army for the agents foreign and domestic who wish to inflame Lebanon.
28 May 2013, 15:47
11
@ the1phoenix
"you and I and everyone knows who started and just how many are hoping to capitalize from this mad situation in which they put us all."
Yes we do ... The KSA and Qatar who throw billions into destabilization of many countries including Syria and Lebanon ...
28 May 2013, 15:48
00
So this is how the traitor Dr. Arreet 7akeh justifies his act of treason! amn al moujtama3 al massi7i tole3 art 7akeh bi art 7akeh. wlak min addak ya 7ak...awati ya dajjal?
28 May 2013, 16:51
00
thw1phoenix vs mckini debate, there you have it, parties outside Lebanon sowing discord and then using people inside Lebanon to try and control the discord according to their own objectives and agendas. In the end, Lebanon loses and Israel wins. It's been that way since 1948 and it will continue be that way for a long,long time barring environmental catastrophe, a nuclear accident/war or the descent of the United States into anarchy.
29 May 2013, 03:18
00
This absolutist position is not good in a fluid situation. One must be flexible in order to react well to changing circumstances. For sure the LF should not boycott. This is the worst option as it gives the field to M8 -- Hwzbollah a nd FPM by default. In Egypt, the democratic forces didn't like the constitution and so boycotted the vote, and the measure passed by a large margin, making it firmly rooted. A boycott would not be a loss of Christian political power, but a surrender without a fight.
14 June 2013, 04:04
00
I always emailed this blog post page to all my contacts, as
if like to read it then my contacts will too.
