March 8, 14 Forces Expand Consultations on Electoral Law as Geagea Meets Hariri in Jeddah
Speaker Nabih Berri is continuing his efforts to reach an agreement among various political powers on a new parliamentary electoral law, reported An Nahar daily on Tuesday, as Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea met ex-PM Saad Hariri in Jeddah on Tuesday evening.
Talks between Geagea and Hariri tackled the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, according to Future TV which is affiliated with Hariri's Mustaqbal Movement.
Head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora and Lebanese Forces MP Antoine Zahra had also visited the former premier in Saudi Arabia recently, reported An Nahar.
It said that talks between Hariri and Geagea would focus on the local Lebanese situation and the parliamentary electoral law in particular.
Prominent political sources revealed that consultations were ongoing on the March 8 and 14 fronts to resolve the dispute over the law, with Berri expanding his contacts to different political, parliamentary, and even religious forces.
The government approved in August an electoral draft law based on proportional representation and 13 electoral districts.
The opposition and Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat had voiced their rejection of the law.
Opposition MPs Georges Adwan, Sami Gemayel and Butros Harb proposed an electoral law based on 50 small-sized districts in a winner-takes-all system, while a plan suggested by MP Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc would allow every sect to elect its own MPs under a proportional representation system with Lebanon as a single district.
Meanwhile, the joint parliamentary committees are expected to convene on Thursday in order to approve the formation of a subcommittee, comprised of March 8 and 14 officials, to reach an agreement on an electoral law that appeases all sides.
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