Change and Reform Rejects 1960 Law Anew, Hints Aoun Won't Ink Polls Decree
The Change and Reform parliamentary bloc on Tuesday reiterated its rejection of the controversial 1960 electoral law, noting that it violates the 1989 Taef Accord, while hinting that President Michel Aoun will not sign a decree calling for parliamentary elections in May 2017.
“The president has taken a stance that conforms with the constitution, seeing as everyone has acknowledged that the current electoral law breaches the National Pact and the stipulations of the Lebanese constitution that was endorsed in Taef,” bloc secretary MP Ibrahim Kanaan announced after a weekly meeting in Rabieh.
“Is the president supposed to accept this situation? Is he supposed to breach his oath of office under the excuse that there is a decree calling for elections under this futile electoral law?” Kanaan asked.
“The president is supposed to urge the political forces to perform their duties and respect the constitution and the national partnership that was stipulated by the Taef Accord. The bloc today is very keen on the Taef Accord and on passing a new electoral law,” Kanaan added.
And noting that Change and Reform has showed openness to all the electoral law formats that have been proposed, the MP said anyone seeking to tailor the electoral law to fit their interests would be breaching the constitution and the National Pact.
The bloc “categorically supports President Michel Aoun's stance that calls on all blocs to shoulder their responsibilities and employ this debate to reach a solution rather than exchange blame,” Kanaan said.
“We reject the 1960 law and extension, and the 1960 law is itself an extension seeing as it would extend the state of decay, non-democracy and constitution violation,” the lawmaker went on to say.
The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has since extended its own mandate twice.
While al-Mustaqbal Movement has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on the proportional representation system, 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.
The political parties are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.
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