Al-Rahi Heads on N. American Tour: We Support Electoral Law that Best Represents People
Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi denied on Sunday that he supports the adoption of proportional representation for the 2013 parliamentary elections.
He said: “We support an electoral law that best represents the Lebanese people.”
He made his remarks from the airport ahead of travelling on a one-month tour of Mexico, the United States, and Canada.
“I don’t even know what proportionality entails. Officials should deal with the technical aspects of the law,” he explained.
The patriarch hoped that President Michel Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Prime Minister Najib Miqati would assume their responsibilities in reaching an agreement on a law that would be best suited for Lebanon.
“The president had said that he does not support the 1960 electoral law. It is time for officials to objectively find the best law and not one that only suits ones side,” al-Rahi noted.
He added that the patriarchate will continue its meeting with various political powers that are aimed at reaching an agreement over the electoral law.
President Suleiman, Speaker Nabih Berri, and Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun have voiced their support for proportional representation.
Jumblat has meanwhile rejected the proposal, saying that it aims to limit his political weight.
On the government’s survival of a confidence vote on Thursday, he said that the heated three-day parliament session that was aimed at assessing the government’s performance has demonstrated the extent of the political divide in Lebanon.
He noted that it was a blessing that the government survived the vote because the severity of the disputes would have prevented the various political powers from forming a new one.
“We had hoped that the MPs would have addressed the people’s concerns instead of trading accusations,” he stressed.
He therefore urged parliament and the government to assume their responsibilities given the critical local and regional situations.
Source: Agence France Presse
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