Lebanon’s Aoun: Electoral Law Will Allow The Representation of Majorities, Minorities

Lebanese President Michel Aoun said on Saturday that the new vote law would ensure the representation of both the majorities and the minorities in the country, hours before nationwide parliamentary polls on Sunday. Lebanese Army soldiers deploy near polling stations across Lebanon.

Speaking in an interview to BBC’s Arabic TV Channel this evening, Aoun expressed his satisfaction with the new electoral law, which adopted proportionality and preferential voting; thus, allowing for “the representation of majorities and minorities at the same time and in the most correct way, resulting in a council of deputies that provides more internal stability,” the President said, according to the Lebanese National News Agency (NNA).

 “The law is not responsible for stirring up instincts and spreading a sectarian atmosphere, but the responsibility is borne by the politicians who have resorted to this method,” President Aoun explained.

He stressed that “casting a vote for a closed electoral list within the new law means voting for the political line chosen by the citizen, while the preferential vote allows the citizen himself to choose whoever he wishes from amongst the electoral list members. Hence, representation comes out true at the highest levels.”

Aoun called on candidates to work for their list’s general electoral score, while leaving the preferential vote to each voter’s choice.

The President recalled that when he pushed in the direction of passing the proportionality law, his main aim was to achieve justice in representation and to ensure that the people would have a word in the selection of their representatives, with no other consideration.

Aoun hoped that “the new government would be formed quickly as stipulated by the Constitution,” noting that “the important thing is to preserve national unity in any future government structure.”

“However, if this is not possible, we will resort to the majority and whoever does not participate will remain in the opposition,” he added.

H.M