by dailystar.com.lb

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged politicians
Wednesday to quickly draft a new electoral law, saying proportional
representation would best help Lebanon transition into a modern state,
state media reported.

“A proportional law is the most appropriate
and essential system to help Lebanon transition into the stage of
building a modern state that upholds just national representation and
meets the aspirations of the Lebanese people, “ Berri said after his
weekly meeting with lawmakers, the National News Agency reported. The also speaker warned against further delays in drafting a new vote law.

The
new Lebanese Cabinet is expected to draft a law to govern upcoming
parliamentary elections, which are due to be held in May 2017. Lebanese
parties are divided between adopting an electoral law that would
allocate seats on a proportional basis or a hybrid electoral law.

A
hybrid law would blend elements of the proportional system and the
current rules, in which the winners take all seats in each electoral
district.

The Future Movement, Lebanese Forces and Progressive
Socialist party support a hybrid vote law, while Hezbollah officials
have been lobbying for the adoption of a proportional system.

Parliamentary
elections were due to take place in 2013, but legislators renewed their
terms twice – in 2013 and 2014 – citing security concerns.

Separately,
Berri hailed the efforts of the Lebanese Army and other security forces
to “promote stability, protect national security and reassure the
Lebanese people.”

He said the empowerment of local security forces was “the most important national investment.”