Mustaqbal Rejects 'for the Moment' Electoral Law Based on Proportional Representation
The Mustaqbal parliamentary bloc rejected on Tuesday the adoption of a parliamentary electoral law based on proportional representation “at the moment”.
It explained: “We reject this law given the control of the de facto powers over Lebanon in a manner that prevents all sides from properly benefiting from its reform characteristics.”
It made its remarks after its weekly meeting headed by Mustaqbal bloc head MP Fouad Saniora.
In addition, the bloc rejected the adoption of an electoral law “that does not offer fair representation and voters the freedom to elect their representative.”
“We reject a law that contradicts the nature of the Taif Accord, which is based on partnership and coexistence between Muslims and Christians,” it stressed.
The government adopted in August a draft electoral law based on proportional representation and 13 electoral districts.
On Sunday, the the electoral law Christian four-party committee, comprised of the Free Patriotic Movement, Lebanese Forces, Marada Movement, and Phalange Party, agreed to endorse the electoral system proposed by the so-called Orthodox Gathering, under which each sect would elect its own lawmakers.
Parliamentary subcommittees resumed on Tuesday meetings in downtown Beirut to discuss electoral draft laws.
Addressing the recent armed clashes between the Resistance Brigades and Popular Nasserite Organization supporters in the southern city of Sidon, the Mustaqbal bloc condemned the death of one person in the unrest, wondering “what were armed members of either group doing in the streets?”
“Hizbullah's attempts to create armed fronts aimed at deepening divisions among the Lebanese is reminiscent of the practices of Palestinian groups and the Syrian regime in Lebanon in the past,” remarked the bloc.
It warned Hizbullah and its armed groups of allies that the residents of Sidon will not accept chaos to be imposed in their city.
Last week, exchange of gunfire erupted in the neighborhood of Sidoun in the southern city between members of the Popular Nasserite Organization, headed by former MP Osama Saad, and the Hizbullah-affiliated Resistance Brigades, leaving one person dead and three others wounded.
Commenting on the storm lashing Lebanon and the grave damage that has been incurred, the Mustaqbal bloc praised the efforts of the official, civil, and social agencies in reopening roads blocked by snow and aiding citizens throughout the country.
It hoped that government authorities would take all necessary precautionary measures should the storm continue, hoping that it would derive lessons from this experience.
Addressing the flow of refugees from Syria to Lebanon, the bloc held the government responsible for the exacerbation of the burden this issue is having on the country.
“The exacerbation is due to the government's negligence of the matter and its failure to take preemptive measures to address it since the beginning of the Syrian revolt,” it noted.
It attributed this failure to the pressure applied by the Syrian regime on the government, saying that the regime has so far failed to acknowledge the existence of the refugees.
“The government is required to hold an Arab and international conference for donor agencies and organizations in order to implement the government plan to provide the Syrian refugees with aid,” it stated.
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