PSP Says No Need for Further Divisions as Majority of Cabinet Ministers Support Proportionality
Most political forces represented in the government expressed support for proportional representation in the parliamentary elections on Wednesday except for the Progressive Socialist Party claiming that the cabinet was in no need for further divisions.
During a cabinet session held at Baabda palace, Social Affairs Minister Wael Abou Faour, who is loyal to PSP chief Walid Jumblat, asked: “Is this the appropriate political timing to discuss the electoral draft law and approve it?”
“We have enough divisions. Do we need further divisions under the slogan of the electoral draft law?” he wondered. The country can’t suffer further tension, the minister said.
Abou Faour reiterated the PSP stance that there should be a comprehensive reform.
His comment came as Interior Minister Marwan Charbel briefed the ministers on his draft electoral law and the details of the proportional representation which if adopted would replace the winner-takes-all system.
The ministers discussed the quota for women candidates and the mechanism of the preferential vote which allows voters to rank their candidates in terms of preference.
As Safir daily quoted ministerial sources as saying that the majority of ministers supported the proportional representation. Hizbullah, Amal and Free Patriotic Movement representatives in the cabinet stressed that the government should go ahead with its adoption of the draft law.
They also stressed agreement among the different parties to avoid further divisions inside the cabinet, the sources said.
Charbel, who briefed the cabinet along with Brig. Gen. Elias Khoury, noted the remarks of the ministers on his draft law and decided to reformulate his proposals for future discussions inside the government.
But al-Liwaa daily quoted a minister as saying that Charbel’s briefing was “complicated.” Another cabinet member said the discussion of the draft law was similar to “a math lesson during which ministers heard about statistics and numbers.”
On the explosions that targeted a liquor store and a hotel in the southern city of Tyre, Charbel ruled out that the target was the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon.
He said the trade of liquor in the area was most likely the cause of the blasts, ministerial sources told An Nahar newspaper.
The government also discussed the high-voltage electricity lines that will be installed above ground in the Mansouriyeh area. It decided to go ahead with the project despite the angry protests of local residents over health fears.
An Nahar’s sources said the ministers agreed that the installation of the lines underground is more dangerous.
| Copyright © 2012 Naharnet.com. All Rights Reserved. | https://naharnet.com/stories/en/20518 |