Charbel Insistent on Approving Electoral Law Six Months ahead of Parliamentary Polls

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel hoped that the parliamentary electoral law will be approved ahead of the 2013 elections, reported al-Liwaa newspaper on Saturday.

He told the newspaper that he hopes that the electoral law will be approved six months ahead of the polls because logistic preparations for the elections need that much time.

He voiced his insistence that this issue needed to be settled within that timeframe, whether the 1960 electoral law or one based on proportional representation is adopted.

The minister revealed that discussions on the law will be held at cabinet as soon as President Michel Suleiman returns from his official visit to Australia.

The president is scheduled to head to Australia on Saturday on a weeklong trip.

The March 8 camp has voiced its support for proportional representation to be adopted for the electoral law.

Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat has meanwhile reportedly rejected the proposal, with Minister Ghazi Aridi explaining that such a law is aimed at limiting the Druze leader’s political weight.

The March 14-led opposition has maintained its commitment to the amended 1960 law that was adopted during the 2009 parliamentary elections.