Berri Calls for 'Fair' and 'Non-Sectarian' Electoral Law
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called on the political forces to seek a “fair” electoral law that does not aggravate the sectarian situation in the country.
“Vacuum in parliament will not happen, because it would lead to the collapse of the other constitutional institutions,” Berri told his visitors.
Responding to parties that have said that “the expiry of parliament's term without setting a date for elections does not automatically plunge the country into parliamentary vacuum,” the Speaker said: “These people do not know the constitution and the laws, even if they claim so. These are 'satanic' interpretations and heresies.”
Berri's AMAL Movement has reportedly rejected an electoral law proposed by Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil that involves sectarian voting in the first round.
Media reports said Tuesday that a hybrid law proposed by Berri has returned to the forefront of political discussions after the Lebanese Forces, the Progressive Socialist Party and al-Mustaqbal Movement rejected Bassil's format.
Bassil's hybrid, two-round electoral system prevents voters from voting for candidates from other sects in the first round and divides Lebanon into 26 districts. The second round involves a non-sectarian proportional representation system and 10 larger districts.
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