BEIRUT: Interior Minister Marwan Charbel’s draft electoral law would see the formation of a committee that is tasked with supervising the parliamentary elections in coordination with the Interior Ministry.
The committee will start its work a year prior to the end of Parliament’s tenure and will be dissolved three months after polls are closed.
Among its duties, the committee will supervise electoral advertising and spending to guarantee transparency and accountability.
Charbel left the door open for discussions over the size of electoral districts, and the draft law's proposals range from adopting 10 to 14 middle-sized constituencies.
It contains proposals to divide the capital into two election districts, compared to the current three-way division of Beirut.
In North Lebanon, the proposals focus on avoiding the experience of 2005, when Bsharri, Dinnieh and Akkar formed a single district. Politicians and voters complained that the Christian- and Muslim-majority regions in this district had little in common and were cut off from each other geographically due to the rough terrain in mountain areas – the lack of a direct road between Dinnieh and Bsharri, they said, also rendered the combination unrealistic.
In contrast, the new proposals join Christian-majority qadas of Zghorta, Bsharri, Koura and Batroun into one district, with Muslim-majority qadas (Tripoli, Minyeh, Dinnieh and Akkar) into another. Another option would see Akkar form its own electoral district.
In the Bekaa, one option would make Zahle, Rashaya and the Western Bekaa into one district, while Baalbek and Hermel would form the second. Another option would maintain Zahle as a separate district.
In Mount Lebanon, Jbeil, Kesrouan and Metn would form one district, while Baabda, Aley and Chouf would form the other. Another option is to create three districts: Jbeil-Kesrouan, Metn-Baabda and Aley-Chouf.
The proposals for the South Lebanon and Nabatieh governorates revolve around grouping Sidon and Jezzine into a single district, in which a Shiite bloc of voters would have little weight, while the rest of the area would be divided into one or two districts, where Shiite voters would be dominant.
The committee will be comprised of 11 members including judicial figures, members of Beirut and Tripoli Bar Associations and the Journalists Union, as well as civil activists.
The appointment of the committee will fall under the jurisdiction of the government based on a proposal by the Interior Ministry.The committee will start its work a year prior to the end of Parliament’s tenure and will be dissolved three months after polls are closed.
Among its duties, the committee will supervise electoral advertising and spending to guarantee transparency and accountability.
Charbel left the door open for discussions over the size of electoral districts, and the draft law's proposals range from adopting 10 to 14 middle-sized constituencies.
It contains proposals to divide the capital into two election districts, compared to the current three-way division of Beirut.
In North Lebanon, the proposals focus on avoiding the experience of 2005, when Bsharri, Dinnieh and Akkar formed a single district. Politicians and voters complained that the Christian- and Muslim-majority regions in this district had little in common and were cut off from each other geographically due to the rough terrain in mountain areas – the lack of a direct road between Dinnieh and Bsharri, they said, also rendered the combination unrealistic.
In contrast, the new proposals join Christian-majority qadas of Zghorta, Bsharri, Koura and Batroun into one district, with Muslim-majority qadas (Tripoli, Minyeh, Dinnieh and Akkar) into another. Another option would see Akkar form its own electoral district.
In the Bekaa, one option would make Zahle, Rashaya and the Western Bekaa into one district, while Baalbek and Hermel would form the second. Another option would maintain Zahle as a separate district.
In Mount Lebanon, Jbeil, Kesrouan and Metn would form one district, while Baabda, Aley and Chouf would form the other. Another option is to create three districts: Jbeil-Kesrouan, Metn-Baabda and Aley-Chouf.
The proposals for the South Lebanon and Nabatieh governorates revolve around grouping Sidon and Jezzine into a single district, in which a Shiite bloc of voters would have little weight, while the rest of the area would be divided into one or two districts, where Shiite voters would be dominant.
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