Top March 8 Parties 'Totally Reject' 1960 Electoral Law
The top three parties of the March 8 majority alliance have “totally rejected” holding the parliamentary polls next year based on the winner-takes-all system of the 1960 electoral law, As Safir daily reported on Monday.
The newspaper quoted sources as saying that a meeting was held between the Hizbullah leader's aide, Hussein Khalil, the assistant of Speaker Nabih Berri, Ali Hassan Khalil, Minister Jebran Bassil, who is a member of the Free Patriotic Movement, and Amal movement's security official Ahmed al-Baalbaki.
The sources said the conferees “totally rejected” the 1960 law and “expressed openness to discuss amendments to a bill approved by the government” in August that calls for dividing Lebanon into 13 electoral districts based on proportional representation.
The bill was rejected by the March 14 opposition alliance's parliamentary blocs and the National Struggle Front bloc of MP Walid Jumblat, who is a centrist.
The representatives of Hizbullah and Amal also expressed readiness to accept electoral proposals that the Christians factions agree on, As Safir's sources said.
The 1960 law, which adopts the qada as an electoral district, was used in the 2009 parliamentary elections.
Several officials, including Interior Minister Marwan Charbel, have said that the law should be adopted for the 2013 polls if the parliament failed to agree on a new electoral law.
But the legislature has so far been unable to reach any agreement, and lack of consensus following the political crisis that erupted after the assassination of Internal Security Forces Intelligence Branch chief in October is also a sign that the lawmakers would fail to draft a law before the June elections.
Following al-Hasan's assassination, the March 14 MPs boycotted parliamentary activity but later announced their willingness to participate in a meeting of a legislative sub-committee set to draft an electoral law on condition that the talks are held at the house of one of its opposition lawmakers.
March 14 MP Marwan Hamadeh told Voice of Lebanon radio (93.3) on Monday that the opposition lawmakers are set to meet with Speaker Nabih Berri to find an alternative to the condition set by them after the objection of several March 8 officials.
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