Report: FPM Raises New 'Complexities', Could Abolish Vote Law Hopes
The Free Patriotic Movement has raised a series of “last minute” demands that could hinder an agreement on an electoral law after reports that complexities obstructing the agreement were eased, media reports said on Tuesday.
“A series of new complexities, some of which are impossible to approve, have been put forward by the FPM at the last minute,” informed sources told al-Akhbar daily on condition of anonymity.
“The political blocs, including friends and allies of the FPM, no longer hide a feeling that (FPM chief) Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil and President Michel Aoun's demands have intentions that go beyond the parliamentary elections to endeavors to amend the Taef accord in under pressure negotiations,” they added.
“This logic has become a threat to the agreement on the election itself, because the new/old complexities require a national debate that does not end in days or months, and perhaps founds for a constituent assembly that restructures the Lebanese regime after the Taef agreement.”
Al-Akhbar added that several well-informed sources summarized the “ambitions” of the FPM as follows:
The FPM has first demanded a reduction in the number of parliament seats from 128 to 108, and is currently demanding the distribution of the 20 seats --added after the Taef accord-- to expatriates, the quota of women and those who run outside the confessional regime.
The request was highly rejected by Hizbullah and its allies.
Another FPM request is permitting a military vote which was highly rejected by several political blocs pressing the need to keep the military institution away from political bickering and alignments.
They assured that the army reflects the demographic and sectarian distribution of the Lebanese ... The military institution carries great responsibilities at the level of safeguarding the Lebanese from terror threats and the imminent Israeli danger.
Moreover, the sources said that President Aoun wants a political agreement similar to the Baabda Declaration, before the full agreement on an electoral law.
The “Aoun Declaration” includes the agreement on a senate, decentralization and a new constitutional amendment that proves equality in the constitution (although it is proven) and amends the articles on the abolition of political sectarianism thus closing the horizon to the possibility of forming a national civil state, in favor of consolidating the distribution of shares on sectarian basis, according to the sources.
Source: Naharnet
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