March 14 Independent Christians Restate Orthodox Law Rejection, Call for Finding Alternative
Independent Christian figures affiliated in the March 14 alliance restated on Monday their rejection of the Orthodox Gathering's electoral draft law, suggesting the presence of an alternative but without naming it.
"We will not respond to attacks against us and we insist on our rejection of the Orthodox law,” the leaders said in a released statement issued after their meeting in MP Butros Harb's house.
The statement explained: “There are many constitutional alternatives to the law adopted in 2008 that provide fair representation and preserve Lebanon's unity”.
"We call all parties to engage in the necessary talks to reach an accord on an electoral law,” the leaders added, saluting the last statement issued by Bkirki and that called for just representation for Christians and all Lebanese communities.
The Christian four-party committee on the electoral law had agreed to endorse the electoral system proposed by the so-called Orthodox Gathering, under which each sect would elect its own lawmakers.
But the proposal was criticized by President Michel Suleiman, Premier Najib Miqati, Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat, al-Mustaqbal Movement and several other figures.
over 11 years
that's the best you can do? attack his hair colour? amazing...
over 11 years
I have to agree with Mr. Harb that the so-called Orthodox law is not the way forward. It is a proposed law that will keep us entrenched in sectarian ideology. It is time for Lebanon to join modernity and reject sectarian governance. Mr. Harb is one of the few clean politicians in Lebanon. One can easily make ad hominem attacks, but they remain alas, non-substantive and irrelevant. He uses hair coloring, Aoun has head like a batata with a very subtle comb-over, Jumblat likes the Albert Einstein look.... The Lebanese gallery of politicians is not exactly a pretty one! As to the allusion to the Feltman meeting, watch the video of the incident and you can see that there was no bowing involved. The photo was a juvenile smear job well worthy of As-Safir.
over 11 years
The Orthodox Gathering law proposal is a disaster in the making. The seeds of the next civil war are in it. It is a gross violation of Taef accord, a violation of equality of citizenship and down right racist.
over 11 years
Racism definition has been expanded to include descrimination based on race, ethnic background. Now call it as you wish but this law is discriminatory since it assign different value of votes to individuals from different sects. As well, it limits the freedom of the lebanese citizen to vote for whoever he or she deems fits. One of the major cause of the 1975 civil war in lebanon was about representation. The Taef accord was a compromise that ended that war. Now we are supposed to dispose of the Taef accord and return to a more unrepresentative law. How long will the majority sects accept an election law that discriminates against their members? The sectarian system was supposed to be a temporary fixture. Now it is permanent and this law is threatening to make it more so. Time to move forward and not accept laws that will cause the next civil strife in lebanon. One person, one vote, equality of citizenship.
over 11 years
The one that is fearmongering are the supporters of this law. Aoun fearmonger in the christian community against sunnis. Some of the m14 leaders fearmonger against the shia. Both are playing with fire. When will we look at each others as citizens.
over 11 years
That's right! Those pesky Christians that we finally managed to marginalize and divide are trying to have the same rights as everyone else? How dare they? Sunnis get elected by Sunnis and Druze get elected by Druze etc.. EXCEPT Christians, they get elected by Sunnis and Druze and .. the rest.
over 11 years
The reality is that the chritian communities in lebanon are becoming diminishing minorities (combination of immigration and low birth rate). Because of the 50/50 MP distribution, it is only natural that there more and more Shia and Sunni voters will determine the results of some of these elections. As for Druze community, it suffers the same diminishing numbers as the christian community.
Considering the birth rate differential, what do suggest when muslims become 75 percent of the population? What about 80?
Time to stop counting and move to a non-sectarian system.
over 11 years
both :)
over 11 years
what brain?
over 11 years
you're the experts for nasrocrap...
What hair color does he use? I will need it soon. It looks so natural.