Cabinet Tackles Proportionality ahead of Bkirki’s Proposal and amid Jumblat’s Discontent
The cabinet discussed on Monday an electoral draft-law proposed by Interior Minister Marwan Charbel that is likely to hit a stumbling block over the rejection of ministers loyal to Progressive Socialist Party leader Walid Jumblat to adopt it.
The cabinet that convened at Baabda Palace agreed however to continue discussions on the draft-law that is based on proportional representation, Information Minister Walid al-Daouq said.
The ministers will continue to deliberate on the bill’s last chapter on setting the number and sizes of districts and will hold another session on Tuesday to reach an agreement.
They will also discuss the process that would allow Lebanese expatriates to vote in the 2013 parliamentary elections.
Al-Daouq quoted President Michel Suleiman as saying during the session that the cabinet should speed up the adoption of the electoral draft-law pending the discussion of other drafts including administrative decentralization.
But according to An Nahar daily, a committee of Christian officials holding routine meetings in Bkirki hasn’t yet reached a deal on an electoral draft-law that satisfies Christians.
The officials are deliberating on either dividing Lebanon into 50 small districts or adopting proportionality in around 15 medium-size districts, it said.
Both drafts improve the representation of Christian lawmakers who would be elected through the direct influence of Christian electorates, the newspaper added.
The Bkirki committee will put the final touches on both projects on Wednesday to refer them to Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi.
In remarks to al-Akhbar daily, Charbel confirmed that the committee’s members have been divided on the size and number of districts. But he stressed that the electoral draft-law will be sent to parliament where each party can express its opinion and either approve or reject it.
The rejection of Charbel’s draft-law is highly likely in the cabinet given that Jumblat has on several occasions announced his refusal for proportionality.
However, the interior minister told al-Akhbar that “there are no contacts with him to know what the stance of his ministers will be” during the session.
Charbel did not rule out a suggestion by Suleiman to resort to voting if the draft-law faces a stumbling block.
But Jumblat has previously told al-Akhbar that his ministers would not object to any draft that receives the consensus of the majority but the lawmakers of his National Struggle Front bloc would oppose proportionality when the bill reaches parliament for approval.
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