Karam: Hizbullah Hampering Electoral Law for Regional Considerations

MP Fadi Karam accused Hizbullah on Monday of hampering attempts to agree on an electoral law for the upcoming parliamentary polls for what he described as “regional” reasons.

“Hizbullah is obstructing endeavors to agree on a new electoral law for regional considerations,” Karam told VDL (93.3) radio station.

“Contacts are ongoing and the differences are narrowing despite the fact that each party is drawing red lines of its own.” the Lebanese Forces MP added.

“Deadlines to agree on a new law are still open. The only law that can be approved by all (political parties) is a hybrid law now that illusions of some to stage the polls based on the current (1960) law have been dropped,” added Karam.

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

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

Hizbullah, Mustaqbal, AMAL Movement, the FPM and the Lebanese Forces are meanwhile discussing several formats of a so-called hybrid law that mixes proportional representation with the winner-takes-all system.

Separately, the MP touched on cabinet discussions on the state's annual budget, he refused having it “financed at the citizens' expense. We cannot give the people with one hand and take away with the other.”