Berri refers draft electoral law to parliamentary committees

Speaker Nabih Berri Monday referred the draft electoral law to the relevant parliament committees, the National News Agency reported. President Michel Sleiman signed over the weekend the decree to transfer the Cabinet-approved draft law to Parliament. The committees of administration and justice, finance and budget, and the interior and municipalities have now all received the draft of the proposed law. MPs are now privately studying both the 2012 budget draft law and the draft electoral law before discussions on them in specific parliamentary committees at the start of next week. The electoral draft law would divide Lebanon into 13 electoral districts – cutting the number stipulated under today’s law by almost half – and adopting proportional representation. The draft was approved by the Cabinet in early August. According to the NNA, parliamentary sources Monday doubted the law would be approved due to the opposition’s objections. The March 14 coalition and the Progressive Socialist Party have both voiced opposition to the draft, while MP Samir Geagea has described it as a form of gerrymandering in favor of the March 8 bloc. If the draft fails to receive Parliament’s approval, the 1960s law currently in place will be implemented during the 2013 parliamentary elections. From DailyStar