Jumblat Says al-Mustaqbal, PSP Coordinating on Vote Law Proposal Made by Suleiman

Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat said Sunday that his National Struggle Front and al-Mustaqbal bloc were coordinating efforts to reach consensus on an electoral draft-law that is reportedly based on a hybrid system.

In remarks to An Nahar daily, Jumblat said: “We and al-Mustaqbal movement are coordinating to achieve a consensual draft-law.”

“The main proposal that we are discussing is the one made by President Michel Suleiman,” he said without elaborating.

According to An Nahar, the latest consultations between the different factions are focusing on a hybrid draft-law - a combination of the winner-takes-all and proportional representation systems - that has received a strong backing from al-Mustaqbal and the PSP.

Suleiman has tasked former Minister Khalil Hrawi and Economy Minister Nicolas Nahhas, as the representative of Premier Najib Miqati, with discussing with the rival parties to reach consensus on an electoral draft-law, the newspaper said.

It added that the latest discussions between the different March 14 opposition factions are focusing on a hybrid draft-law that allows 50 percent of MPs to be elected based on the proportional representation system and the remaining half based on the winner-takes-all system.

Suleiman and Miqati have severely criticized the so-called Orthodox Gathering proposal, which was also rejected by al-Mustaqbal, the National Struggle Front and the March 14 opposition’s Christian independent MPs during the meeting of the joint parliamentary committees.

The committees approved the proposal last week, the last step before Speaker Nabih Berri calls for a parliamentary session to approve it.

But Berri has insisted on giving rival factions more time to reach consensus on another draft-law.