By Joseph A. Kechichian, Senior Writer

Beirut: The deputy head of the Higher Shiite Islamic Council, Shaikh
Abdul Amir Qabalan, urged politicians to produce a new electoral law
that fulfils just representation, which means “the adoption of a
proportional representation law considering Lebanon as a single
electoral district, which allows a Muslim Lebanese to elect his
Christian brother and a Christian can elect his Muslim brother in order
to make Lebanon a country of true partnership without partiality to any
of its components”.

Several versions of a new electoral law are
under discussion in Lebanon, topped by proportionality — albeit in
different versions — gaining the most traction. Proponents believe that
such a law would gradually eliminate reliance on sectarianism while
opponents insist that Lebanon’s socio-political make-up would make the
country ungovernable because so many parties compete for their share of
power. They argue that no clear majority can be elected since doing so
would automatically eliminate the smaller but vital components of
Lebanese society.

While the National News Agency reported
Qabalan’s Friday prayer declarations — a position that was favoured by
Hezbollah but rejected by the Future Movement — the head of the Phalange
Party, Sami Gemayel, voiced his support for an electoral law that would
create smaller constituencies, saying this would best guarantee proper
representation.

While everyone was unsatisfied with the current
1960 electoral law, which divides the country into large electoral
districts with a winner-takes-all feature, the Phalange, along with
Future, the Lebanese Forces and the Progressive Socialist Party have all
proposed a hybrid electoral law that mixes proportional representation
with the winner-takes-all systems. Even Speaker Nabih Berri suggested a
hybrid law, though his percentages differ, but said his Amal Party would
consider proportionality.

Only Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic
Movement favour a proportionality mechanism. Their leaders are
dismissive of concerns that the party’s controversial arsenal of arms
would prevent serious competition in regions where the Iran-backed party
is influential, and that will lopsidedly favour it at the expense of
smaller parties.

The country has not voted for a parliament since
2009 though there seems to be an interest to avoid a third extension of
the mandate by calling for fresh poll in May 2017. It was unclear under
which law, however, with politicians and clerics advancing preferred
options to win — perhaps, unconditionally.