Berri Urges Hariri to 'Assume Responsibility' ahead of Cabinet Meeting

Speaker Nabih Berri assured that several meetings between various political parties will be held ahead of a cabinet meeting on Thursday to agree on a new electoral law, as he urged Prime Minister Saad Hariri to assume responsibility, the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily reported on Tuesday.

Visitors to Berri quoted the Speaker as saying: “It is certain that many meetings will be held. But more importantly is they be held within the government. Prime Minister Saad Hariri must assume his responsibilities in this regard. In any case there will be no vote (on a new electoral law) in the cabinet. The election law can only be reached in conformity.”

Referring to his law proposal, he added: “I presented my idea and assured that I will add nothing. Let them take it or leave it. I am waiting for the cabinet to refer the draft law to parliament, the May 15 session is still as scheduled.”

The thorny electoral draft law tops Thursday's cabinet agenda amid fears that a breakthrough might not reached in light of conflicting opinions between political parties.

The possibility of cabinet voting on the proposed voting system formats is unlikely in light of rejections voiced by Berri and head of the Democratic Gathering bloc MP Walid Jumblat. Meanwhile Prime Minister Saad Hariri avoids a cabinet vote to avoid engaging the country in additional divisions, said al-Joumhouria daily.

Hariri prefers to continue consultations in a bid to reach a compromise format, after reports claiming that any tendency towards voting might overthrow the government and turn things upside down which falls in none of the party's interests, it added.

Berri's proposal for the creation of a senate as part of efforts to resolve the electoral law crisis calls for forming a body consisted of 32 Muslim senators and 32 Christian senators and for allocating its presidency to the Druze community.

It calls for electing a senate under a sectarian voting electoral system and a parliament under an electoral law fully based on proportional representation.

Another law proposal was introduced by Free Patriotic Movement Jebran Bassil and is based on a “sectarian” qualification system.

Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on the proportional representation system and a single or several large electorates.