Discussions on Electoral Law Have Been Limited to Govt. Proposal, Says Interior Minister
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel reiterated on Friday the need to reach an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law four or five months before the 2013 elections are set to take place, reported al-Joumhouria newspaper on Friday.
He told the daily: “Discussions on the electoral law have been limited to the government proposal on the matter despite the various draft laws presented by different political powers.”
The government devised a draft electoral law based on proportional representation and 13 electoral districts, which was rejected by the opposition and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat.
The opposition made a proposal, by MPs Georges Adwan, Sami Gemayel and Butros Harb, calling for the formation of 50 small-sized districts in a winner-takes-all system, while a plan suggested by the Change and Reform bloc allows every sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system with Lebanon as a single district.
Given the differences between the political powers, the joint parliamentary committees were tasked with forming a subcommittee comprised of the various forces to reach an agreement over the electoral law.
The sharp differences between them however have caused the delay of discussions on forming the subcommittee.
Commenting on the development, Charbel told al-Joumhouria: “God willing we will accomplish something soon.”
“I hope we can get to the heart of the matter at the appropriate moment in order to avoid wasting more time,” he stressed.
A new electoral law is needed before the end of the year in order to pave the way for the candidates to run in the elections and to allow the Interior Ministry to make the necessary preparations, he declared.
“All powers want the elections to be held in 2013,” he said.
Addressing on the possibility of allowing expatriates to vote, the minister told Voice of Lebanon radio on Friday: “The ministry has performed its duties to this end in cooperation with the Foreign Ministry.”
“We are now left with obtaining the exact number of expatriates that want to vote in the elections,” he explained.
Some 6,000 expatriates have so far submitted requests to participate in the elections, revealed Charbel.
The subcommittee tasked with studying a suitable electoral system and size of districts will be formed of 10 members, al-Liwaa newspaper reported on Friday.
It said that the subcommittee will be divided evenly between the March 14 and 8 camps in addition to MP Akram Shehayeb, who was named as a centrist candidate to represent the PSP and Democratic Gathering of MP Talal Arslan.
Discussions on who will be appointed to the subcommittee will resume on Thursday.
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