By
Wassim Mroueh
BEIRUT:
A committee of representatives of Christian parties in the country is
considering an election draft law with a winner-takes-all system based on small
districts.
Under
the draft, some of the qadas used in the 2009 law would remain the same, while
other districts would be divided to make smaller units. Another draft law being
studied by the committee, which was formed by the Maronite Patriarchate, would
adopt a system of proportional representation and medium-sized districts.
The
committee continued discussions of the two draft laws in a meeting at
Parliament Wednesday.
Albert
Kostanian, a Kataeb Party politburo member, said that based on the
winner-takes-all system plan, all qadas with less than four seats would “in
principle” remain unchanged. But qadas having at least four seats, such as the
Chouf, Metn and Aley, would be divided into smaller units.
Kostanian
said that the purpose of dividing qadas was to achieve better representation.
“Some big qadas do not provide fair representation,” he said. “Take Baabda, for
example: The social environment in upper Baabda is different from that down on
the coast.”
Kostanian
said that in the coming weeks, committee members were expected to wrap up
discussions of the two draft laws, which they will then present to various
political groups.
Under
the 1960 version of the election law, used in the 2009 polls, the
administrative unit of the qada was used as the so-called “small” electoral
district. The Taif Accord stipulates the larger governorate as the electoral
constituency. Activists argue that the 1960 version does not yield fair representation.
Splitting
the difference is Interior Minister Marwan Charbel’s proposal calling for
adopting medium-sized districts with proportional representation.
Parliamentary
elections are set for June 2013 and political groups are split over what
election law to adopt.
Michel
Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement, the Amal Movement and Hezbollah support a
system of proportional representation, which is opposed by the Progressive
Socialist Party and the Future Movement.
Kostanian
said the notion that a winner-takes-all system is unfair is “wrong.”
“Countries
such as Britain and America, which have democratic systems that we dream of
having, adopt a winner-takes-all system,” he said. “This does not oppose
representation.”
The
other draft law, continued Kostanian, is close to Charbel’s and one proposed by
former Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud.
Batroun
MP Butros Harb and Chouf MP George Adwan from the March 14 coalition, along
with former Minister Youssef Saade and Baabda MP Alain Aoun from the March 8
camp, also attended the meeting.
Saade and Aoun were not
available for comment.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/May-31/175209-bkirki-committee-studies-debates-two-electoral-law-proposals.ashx#axzz1wFjVYzRg
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