Cabinet Seeks Jumblat’s Support to Throw Proportionality in Parliament’s Court
Efforts will be exerted to pressure Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat not to obstruct the adoption of a proposal by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel on a new electoral law based on proportional representation, ministerial sources said Thursday.
The sources told An Nahar newspaper that attempts will be made to persuade Jumblat into allowing the cabinet ministers loyal to him to approve proportionality for the 2013 parliamentary elections.
They said agreement has been reached between Premier Najib Miqati and the March 8 forces that make up the majority of the cabinet to approve with a few amendments the draft law proposed by Charbel and then refer it to parliament.
Their deal lies in leaving the battle on proportionality to lawmakers, the sources said.
According to As Safir daily, Miqati held a telephone conversation with Jumblat on Wednesday to inform him about the deal that is aimed at boosting the government’s work.
The PSP chief told the newspaper that he has no problem with the agreement and hoped that it would reflect positively on the cabinet.
He didn’t however comment on the proportional representation which he rejects along with the opposition al-Mustaqbal movement leader Saad Hariri.
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