National Liberal Party leader MP Dori Chamoun told Akhbar al-Yawm news agency on Tuesday that the current electoral law in Lebanon “will stay as it is,” in reference to the 2009 electoral law, which is based on simple majority representation.
After the parliament agreed on drafting an electoral law based on proportional representation, some parties rejected the proposed law and called for adopting the 2009 electoral law.
Chamoun asked how the proportional system of representation can be “explained to [Lebanese] people when other countries, which are more developed than Lebanon have failed to adopt this type of representation and decided to embrace previous laws?”
He added that his party supports dividing up the governorates into smaller areas for each to hold its own elections.
Commenting on national dialogue, Chamoun said for dialogue to succeed, “all participants [should] have good intentions aiming to [achieve] positive results.”
Regarding the Special Tribunal for Lebanon ( STL) probing the 2005 assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, Chamoun criticized Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) leader Michel Aoun for not supporting paying Lebanon’s share of funding of the court “after all [political] groups agreed on its establishment.”
Chamoun added that there are attempts to “drown” the international court at some time “maybe during national dialogue sessions.”
The Hezbollah-led March 8 parties – which currently dominate Lebanon’s cabinet – have opposed a clause in the Lebanese annual state budget pertaining to the funding of the UN-backed court, while PM Najib Mikati has repeatedly voiced Lebanon’s commitment to the tribunal.
Four Hezbollah members have been indicted by the STL. However, the Shia group strongly denied the charges and refuses to cooperate with the court.
Lebanon contributes 49 percent of the STL’s annual funding.
The NLP leader also commented on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s statement that Western intervention in Syria would cause an "earthquake" inflaming the region and said it is unlikely Lebanon’s security will be affected.
“Assad is preoccupied with his [Syria’s] internal situation and his allies in Lebanon hope that he would stay [in power] because this would maintain their survival.”
Chamoun added that he expects the Syrian regime to fall in Spring.
Lebanon’s political landscape is split between supporters of Assad’s regime, led by Hezbollah, and a pro-Western camp headed by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.
According to the United Nations, the Syrian regime's crackdown on protests has killed more than 3,000 people.
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