Alain Aoun Suspends Participation at Electoral Subcommittee as Sharp Differences Emerge
Disagreements loomed during the electoral subcommittee meeting on Thursday as Free Patriotic Movement MP Alain Aoun reportedly suspended his participation in the meetings.
The electoral subcommittee meeting for the third day in a row failed to bridge the gap between the March 14 and 8 alliance's over the electoral draft-law that will be adopted in the upcoming polls.
OTV reported that an argument erupted between Aoun, Phalange MP Sami Gemayel and Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan and al-Mustaqbal MP Ahmed Fatfat and MP Akram Shehayyeb from MP Walid Jumblat's centrist National Struggle Front.
However, after the first round of talks Adwan and Fatfat told reporters gathered at the parliament that no dispute occurred during the meeting.
“The different points of view over the Orthodox Gathering draft law don't mean there's a political rift,” Adwan said.
But Fatfat accused Aoun of obstructing the work of the electoral subcommittee.
Media reports said that head of the subcommittee MP Robert Ghanem, who is replacing Deputy Speaker Farid Makari who is aboard, suspended the session for a while in order all members carry out the necessary consultations.
Voice of Lebanon radio (100.5) said later that a meeting behind closed doors was held between Aoun, Gemayel and Adwan.
Earlier, As Safir newspaper reported that the committee will discuss during the first round of talks on Thursday a suggestion to increase the number of lawmakers.
The subcommittee was expected to tackle al-Muustaqbal MP Nabil de Freij's suggestion to increase two parliamentary seats for Syriacs or minorities, one Sunni and another Shiite, and another proposal by Gemayel to add one Syriac MP and another Druze.
An Nahar newspaper reported that the two rounds of discussions on Wednesday witnessed sharp differences among the committee members.
As Christian lawmakers at the committee, Aoun, Gemayel and Adwan in addition to MP Ali Bazzi from AMAL and Hizbullah lawmaker Ali Fayyad agreed on the adoption of the Orthodox Gathering draft-law, while al-Mustaqbal MPs Fatfat and Serge Torsarkissian and MP Shehayyeb voiced their rejection to it.
The Christian four-party committee on the electoral law agreed recently to endorse the electoral system proposed by the so-called Orthodox Gathering, under which each sect would elect its own lawmakers.
But the proposal was criticized by President Michel Suleiman, Premier Najib Miqati, Jumblat, al-Mustaqbal Movement and several other Christian MPs and officials.
However, talks over the March 14 alliance's proposal witnessed a rift between the opposition lawmakers and the March 8 MPs, who rejected it, while Shehayeb held onto the adoption of a law that provides fair representation among the Lebanese.
The March 14 Christian MPs suggested to divide Lebanon into 50 small-sized districts based on a winner-takes-all system.
Concerning the draft-law proposed by the cabinet, March 8 lawmakers voiced support to it, while the March 14 MPs rejected it.
The government’s proposal calls for dividing Lebanon into 13 medium districts based on proportional representation.
According to An Nahar, Ghanem remained neutral.
Informed sources described the meetings to As Safir as “serious,” considering that the subcommittee members are confronting a thorny path.
The sources pointed out that if the rival MPs failed to agree on a common electoral law, Speaker Nabih Berri will be informed to take the appropriate decision.
The main focus of discussions is the number and size of districts, the type of system, and the number of MPs in parliament which currently stands at 128.
Later in the day another round of discussions took place and was shortly concluded “to give space for negotiations”, as MP Ghanem explained.
The lawmakers are set to convene on Friday morning to follow-up on pending issues.
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