Suleiman Backs Electoral Law Based on National Pact Principles

President Michel Suleiman said on Monday a new electoral law is a step towards the implementation of the Taef accord, stressing that it should be based on the principles of the National Pact while following modern trends.

“The electoral law is the right gateway for the practice of sound democracy but it is one of the steps towards the implementation of the Taef agreement such as administrative decentralization and sustainable development,” Suleiman told a conference on proportionality held at the Phoenicia hotel in Beirut.

The law should be based on the essential principles of the National Pact and go along with modern trends, Suleiman said.

An electoral system that guarantees the right representation of all the Lebanese is an expression of the willingness of coexistence that they have been committed to since independence, he said.

Such a system rejects political confessionalism and keeps the electorates away from sectarian choices, the president added.

Suleiman also called for the right representation of minorities out of respect for the plurality in the country. He reiterated that the Lebanese expatriates should be allowed to vote away from any sectarian consideration.

The president stressed that the formation of an independent committee tasked with supervising the elections and electoral spending is an essential step.

The draft law proposed by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel that is based on proportional representation calls for the formation of the 11-member committee that will fall under the jurisdiction of the government.

Charbel told the conference that the draft law has paved way for a serious dialogue among the different political factions to study it.

“A leap towards proportionality is necessary and urgent,” he said.