Maronite Bishops Renew Demand for New Govt., Fair Electoral Law

The Maronite bishops council renewed on Wednesday its demand for the formation of a new government and the approval of a parliamentary electoral draft law other than the 1960 law.

It said in a statement after its monthly meeting: “The new government should be capable of performing national duties, including achieving economic stability, holding the elections, and keeping Lebanon away from regional conflicts.”

In addition, it hoped that the government would succeed in reaching an agreement over a new parliamentary electoral law.

The new law should offer fair representation for all the Lebanese, it stressed.

The bishops hoped the draft law approved by the parliamentary electoral subcommittee would then be referred to parliament where lawmakers would agree on it.

Addressing the ongoing flow of refugees from Syria to Lebanon, the council stated: “The humanitarian cause of the refugees arriving in Syria requires the government to take the necessary measures to prevent the issue from taking a political turn.”

It said that the government should take the necessary precautions to avoid the political and security repercussions the refugees may pose on Lebanon.

The subcommittee resumed its meetings on Tuesday with representatives from the rival March 8 and 14 camps discussing a new electoral draft law.