Report: Jumblat Threatens to Withdraw from Cabinet if Proportional Electoral Law Adopted
Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat warned Prime Minister Najib Miqati that if the cabinet adopted an electoral law based on proportionality then this would lead to the collapse of the government, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Wednesday
Al-Liwaa said Jumblat refuses the proposed electoral law, threatening to withdraw his National Struggle Front ministers from the cabinet, if the parliament approved the draft law and the government adopted it.
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel revealed to al-Mustaqbal newspaper that he was behind the resumption of discussions on the electoral law for the upcoming 2013 parliamentary elections.
“We are running out of time to accomplish the logistic, technical and security preparations in order to ensure a successful process,” he told the daily.
Charbel urged the officials to agree on an electoral law before an 8-month period or a year utmost.
He stressed the elections will go on as scheduled in 2013 unless a security situation forces its delay.
Meanwhile, Speaker Nabih Berri lashed out at the March 14 forces for refusing an electoral law based on proportionality.
Lawmakers quoted him as saying: “Most of the March 14 figures want to stick to the 1960 law because it enables them to have the majority of the seats… they don’t want to change and develop the country.”
The adoption of an electoral law based on proportionality “has been my ambition for a while,” Berri stated.
The options include considering Lebanon a single electoral district on the basis of proportionality, or maintaining the current electoral district division with the possibility of merging the small districts in one on the basis of merging the majority election and the proportional representation systems.
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