Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq's declaration that it will be difficult to pass a new electoral law before the deadlines expire has given the impression that the country is headed once again to the controversial 1960 law.
“Mashnouq's remarks and the continued fruitless debate regarding the electoral law indicate that the parliamentary elections will likely be held under the 1960 law that was amended by the Doha Accord in 2008,” al-Joumhouria newspaper quoted “prominent” parliamentary sources as saying in remarks published Sunday.
“This is a fact that should not be overlooked, even if some try to deny it, and the truth must be said as it is,” the sources added.
Ruling out consensus over a new electoral law, the sources noted that “each party has its calculations and no one wants to offer concessions.”
“Some parties want to seize control of the new parliament in order to control political life in the country,” the sources added.
Hizbullah has repeatedly called for an electoral law fully based on proportional representation but other political parties, especially the Progressive Socialist Party and al-Mustaqbal Movement, have rejected the proposal, arguing that the party's controversial arsenal of arms would prevent serious competition in regions where the Iran-backed party has clout.