Report: Parties Still Debating Hybrid Electoral Law after Bassil's Format Rejected

Representatives of the Free Patriotic Movement, al-Mustaqbal Movement, Hizbullah and AMAL Movement have insisted that their four-party committee is still discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.

“What was rejected is the format that was proposed by FPM chief and Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil, after the 'Shiite duo' suspected that it was aimed at securing the 'Christian duo' a third of the parliament's seats,” sources told al-Joumhouria newspaper in remarks published Sunday.

“A format recently proposed by Hizbullah that calls for electing 75 MPs under the winner-takes-all system and 53 others under the proportional representation system was also quickly dismissed after it turned out that it does not ensure unified standards and correct representation for all sects,” the sources added.

“Hizbullah's format was tailored to fit the interests of the Shiite duo while Bassil's format was tailored to fit the interests of the Christian alliance between his movement and the Lebanese Forces. Accordingly, the proposed formulas have not been accepted after it turned out that each camp was suggesting a format that secures the greatest number of seats at the expense of others,” the sources said.

While Movement has rejected that the electoral law be fully based on the proportional representation system, arguing that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious competition in the party's strongholds, MP Walid Jumblat's Democratic Gathering has totally rejected proportional representation, even within a hybrid law, warning that it would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.

The country has not organized parliamentary elections since 2009 and the legislature has instead twice extended its own mandate.

The last polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next vote is scheduled for May.