Lebanon’s Deputy Speaker Farid Makari on Sunday warned that the parliamentary elections set for the summer will not be held on time. “The elections will be postponed till after September for technical reasons,” Makari stated in a press conference. Concerning the electoral law issue, the deputy speaker said the Orthodox draft “cannot be [adopted] because it violates the Taif [Accord] and the constitution.”

 

The abovementioned draft proposes that citizens vote for candidates of their own sect, and has been endorsed by the country’s four major Christian parties, including the opposition Lebanese Forces and Kataeb Party. Meanwhile, Makari lauded Future Movement leader MP Saad Hariri’s electoral proposal, saying it aims to “find a national solution to the Christians’ representation [in the parliament].” Future’s proposal includes organizing the elections on time according to a law based on small constituencies and establishing a senate representing all sects as defined by the Taif Accord. [Link]