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.

By yalibnan.com

Al-Joumhouria daily  reported that the cabinet will discuss on Wednesday at the Presidential Palace  a new electoral law and that the term of the current parliament might be “technically” extended until September, when preparations for holding the elections based on a new law are complete. President Michel Aoun who headed  up the meeting always opposed the extension of the parliament’s term. In fact he labeled the current parliament ” illegal” , before it elected him.

The last parliamentary elections were held in June 2009 . On 31 May 2013, the Parliament extended its mandate for 17 months, due to the deadlock over the electoral law. And, on 5 November 2014, the Parliament enacted another extension, thus keeping its mandate for an additional 31 months, until 20 June 2017.

Aoun  started the meeting by  denouncing  the Istanbul attack and  hailing  the efforts exerted by the government in handling the situation. Aoun also hailed the security measures of the  New Year’s Eve in maintaining peace and praised the efforts of the security forces in that regard. Prime Minister Saad Hariri suggested the formation of a ministerial committee that sets an action plan in emergency situations, and stays in touch with the President and Prime Minister to follow up on the procedures that could be taken.

President Michel Aoun’s visit to Saudi Arabia next week is one of the items on the agenda, including the executive decrees of the oil sector, discussing a new electoral law before the constitutional deadline for the parliamentary elections approaches. The cabinet will also discuss the appointment of Imad Kreidieh as the new OGERO Telecom chief to replace Abdul Menhem Youssef.

(Reuters) - Police are expected to question Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at his official residence in Jerusalem on Monday on suspicion of receiving gifts from businessmen in breach of his role as a public servant, Israeli media reported. The move was authorized by Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit, who decided after a preliminary probe that there was sufficient evidence for a criminal investigation, Haaretz newspaper reported. The questioning will take place on Monday evening, Israel Radio said.

The police and Justice Ministry would not confirm when the interview would take place or the nature of the investigation, details of which have appeared in the media in recent days. Netanyahu's office has denied any wrongdoing. "All the supposed affairs will turn out to be fiction," his family spokesman said on Monday. "We are repeating: there will be nothing, because there is nothing." Photographers were camped outside the heavily guarded residence, hoping to get pictures of investigators arriving. Black screens were erected inside the gates of the property to block the view. Haaretz and other newspapers said the probe related to gifts worth "hundreds of thousands of shekels" ($1=3.85 shekels) given to Netanyahu by Israeli and foreign businessmen.

by naharnet Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq reassured Monday that security is “under control” in Lebanon, following the latest terrorist attacks in Istanbul, …