The head of the Free Patriotic Movement leader, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Gebran Bassil held the Change and Reform bloc’s weekly meeting Tuesday, followed by a press conference during which he said that the bloc spoke about three important subjects: the electoral law, the electricity and the misleading campaign against the FPM’s Bloc.
This is a brief of what Minister Bassil said:
(For the entire speech please watch the video above)
“-Christians are unfairly represented in the system and we are demanding a correction of such representation according to chart and not sectarianism.”
“-Is it sectarianism or secularism when the Progressive Socialist Party demands that Chouf and Aley be one district?”
“-Amid the rejection of extension of the cabinet, the 1960’s law and the parliamentary vacuum, the only electoral proposals that are still on the table involve controversial sectarian; such as the Orthodox Gathering Law and the Qualification law.”
“-The president of the Republic declared that he is with a proportional law with some restraints. We agree with the president because of the special status of Lebanon’s components; it does require a proportional representation with restraints, and these restraints are the qualification system or the proposed Senate that has been, unfortunately thwarted.”
“-Electoral proposals that involve controversial sectarian, such as the Orthodox Gathering Law and the Qualification law are the only options that remain on the table. ”
-We want a law where the criterion is democracy of consensus and not a counting law.”
“-Since all electoral proposals have been refused we are now in need of a new voting law that takes into account the national pact specifications, consensual democracy and full citizenship.”
On the issue of electricity, Minister Bassil said that the bloc asked minister Cesar Abi Khalil about the electricity plan, and how to provide electricity to the citizens in the fastest way possible; and the answer was through the floating boats, which are much cheaper than the electricity bought from Syria. He stressed the fact that the state is “buying the electricity and not the boats.”
He then advised against unfounded lies and claims made by some lawmakers, and said that “the figures circulated concerning the electricity file are false and inaccurate, such as the 800 million dollars commission.”
“-The bloc has asked the Justice Minister Salim Juraisati to seek legal means to bring these alleged claims to a halt. We hope that the judiciary would shoulder the responsibility in this regard.” Bassil concluded.
Hala Najjar
