Report: LF Says Failure on Election Law Brings on Parliament Vote or Vacuum
The Lebanese forces warned on Tuesday that shall efforts fail to agree on a consensual electoral law for the upcoming parliamentary polls, the political parties would be compelled to either run a parliament vote on the available electoral law proposals, or enter into a parliamentary vacuum, al-Joumhouria daily reported.
“We have not dropped chances to agree on a new electoral law, particularly that efforts in that regard are ongoing. We are working on a new hybrid electoral format that takes into consideration the remarks made about the previous formats,” unnamed Lebanese Forces sources told the daily.
However, the sources added that shall an agreement fail to be reached, “then everyone will be faced with a choice of two: first, to vote in the parliament on the electoral law proposals and the law that garners the majority will be adopted. This is a normal institutional path and a normal application of the constitution.
“Second, is to enter into (parliamentary) vacuum awaiting consensus on a forthcoming electoral law.”
They warned that threats about vacuum are very serious, and asked: “What is the use of periodic elections if they do not reflect real representation?”
“Mistaken are those who bet on a third option, whether related to the 1960 election law or the extension of the parliament term,” they remarked.
The Lebanese Forces has blamed Hizbullah party for “overthrowing” the hybrid electoral law which mixes the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems after realizing that it would give the Lebanese Forces a bigger parliamentary bloc.
Political parties are bickering over amending the current 1960 majoritarian election law which divides seats among the different religious sects.
The political parties have intensified their efforts lately in a bid to agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of the deadlines.
They are discussing several formats of a so-called “hybrid” electoral law that combines the proportional representation and winner-takes-all systems.
While Mustaqbal has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on proportional representation, arguing that Hizbullah's arms would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, Druze leader MP Walid Jumblat has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.
Hizbullah, Mustaqbal, the Free Patriotic Movement, AMAL Movement and the Lebanese Forces are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.
The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate.
The last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next vote is scheduled for May.
Source: Naharnet
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