Berri on Aoun's Comments: No Offense Taken

Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Saturday that the latest comments made by President Michel Aoun as for preferring vacuum at the parliament, has not offended him, al-Akhbar daily reported.

“I may disagree with the President over many issues, but I agree with him about the election law since before his election as president. I don't see any offense in his comments,” Berri told al-Akhbar.

The Speaker pointed out that draft laws suggested by the Free Patriotic Movement have always gained his approval, including the Orthodox election law. Adding, that it would have been endorsed if the Lebanese Forces have not backed down.

Aoun had warned earlier this week that he favors “vacuum” over a new extension of the parliament's term or a return to the 1960 electoral law.

“Vacuum is not only better than the 1960 law or the extension of the parliament term. Extension is a given vacuum in itself,” remarked Berri.

The daily added that Berri has also went to the extent of justifying Aoun's comments when Prime Minister Saad Hariri got annoyed. He told him “Aoun's rhetoric is an encouragement to find a new election law,” according to the daily.

The political parties have intensified their efforts in recent days in a bid to agree on a new electoral law before the expiry of the deadlines.

They are discussing several formats of a so-called “hybrid” electoral law that combines the proportional representation and winner-takes-all systems.

One of the main obstacles is the Progressive Socialist Party's rejection of proportional representation. The party has warned that any law containing proportional representation would “marginalize” the minority Druze community.

Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially Mustaqbal and the PSP, have rejected the proposal, arguing that Hizbullah's weapons would prevent serious competition in the Iran-backed party's strongholds.

The country has not voted for a parliament since 2009, with the legislature instead twice extending its own mandate. The 2009 polls were held under an amended version of the 1960 electoral law and the next elections are scheduled for May 2017.