Aoun : Best electoral law option is the orthodox propoal

Change and Reform bloc leader MP Michel Aoun , whose ministers voted in the cabinet for the electoral law which is based on proportionality said that he now considers the proposal put forward by the Orthodox Gathering and the Maronite Church as the best option for a revised electoral law in Lebanon.

“The best electoral law is the Orthodox Gathering proposal and the second best is the law based on proportionality,” Aoun said following his bloc’s weekly meeting on Thursday.

He continued: “In the next parliamentary session, the Orthodox proposal must be discussed.”

Lebanon’s Cabinet approved last August a new electoral draft law that called for proportional representation and divided the country into 13 districts as follows: Beirut 2, south Lebanon 2, Bekaa 3, north Lebanon 3 , Mount Lebanon 3.

The new electoral law was approved by the majority of ministers, including the FPM ministers . However the ministers that represent Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblatt’s bloc voted against it.

Even though the FPM ministers voted for the cabinet ‘s electoral law draft, FPM MPs Alain Aoun and Neemtallah Abi Nasr submitted another draft electoral law to the parliament . This is the so called “Greek Orthodox gathering proposal” which calls on each sect in Lebanon to vote only for its candidate in the elections based on one electoral district for the whole country .

March 14 Christian MPs Georges Adwan, Boutros Harb and Sami Gemayel submitted a draft electoral law based on 50 districts and winner take all majority to the Parliament’s General Secretariat last October

Jumblatt and his PSP MPs favor the current 1960 winner take all electoral law.

Lebanon is set to hold new parliamentary elections around June 2013, but the country’s political circles are divided over the electoral law issue .

Chairman of the Administration and Justice Committee of the Lebanese Parliament MP Robert Ghanem told Al Nahar newspaper in a report published November 11 that it is impossible for the parliament to reach an agreement on a new electoral law for the 2013 elections in light of the divisions and the ambiance of assassinations in Lebanon.

He said the best solution will be to adopt the 1960 electoral law with some modifications and work on an electoral law for the 2017 elections.

But Hezbollah which currently dominates the cabinet as well as the maronite Patriarch reject the 1960 electoral law.

Lebanon economy

Aoun blamed the current poor economic situation in the country on the Arab countries and Turkey.

Those who are blaming the government for the poor economic conditions and lack of tourists are ignorant … the pro Syrian uprising Arab countries and Turkey are the ones to be blamed because they do not want stability for Lebanon”. He said.

Aoun commented on the Syrian refugees issue, by saying that “the land and the resources have run out and we cannot blame Syrians if they steal, what else can they do?”