Geagea Hints LF to Vote for Orthodox Proposal in Parliament for Lack of Consensus Plan
Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea anticipated accusations of his party's approval of the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal during a future parliamentary session, saying no other serious consensus plans had been made.
“We haven't so far seen any serious move towards any consensus proposal 10 days after the approval of the Orthodox Gathering proposal by the joint parliamentary committees,” Geagea told An Nahar daily published on Saturday.
“On the contrary, some (parties) went back to the government's proposal,” he said about a draft-law that divides Lebanon into 13 districts based on proportionality. “But everyone knows that this plan was buried two months ago.”
“I have a feeling that some (sides) are trying to win time to keep the old” 1960 law, Geagea said, adding “this wold harm everyone because the absolute majority of the Lebanese no longer want it.”
The law, which governed the 2009 elections with some amendments, adopts the qada as an electoral district based on a winner-takes-all system.
The joint committees approved the Orthodox proposal, which considers Lebanon as a single district and allows each sect to vote for its own lawmakers under a proportional representation system, despite the rejection of the opposition al-Mustaqbal bloc, the centrist National Struggle Front and the March 14 opposition's independent Christian MPs.
Speaker Nabih Berri has so far procrastinated in calling for a parliamentary session to approve the plan, saying he was giving rival parties some time to reach consensus on another draft-law.
However, Geagea, whose LF was among several blocs that voted for the Orthodox proposal at the joint committees meeting, said: “We will be asked why we supported this and that proposal at a time when we didn't see any serious move towards other consensual plans.”
Geagea seemed to be hinting to a decision by the LF to vote on the proposal at the National Assembly if Berri invites lawmakers to a session to approve a draft-law for the elections scheduled to be held on June 9.
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