A voter casting her ballot in a polling station in Beirut during the parliamentary elections on May 15, 2022. (Credit: Ibrahim Amro/AFP)
Once again and for the umpteenth time, the debate on the electoral law ahead of the legislative elections has been reignited in Lebanon. The latest development: two bill proposals presented by MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a senior Amal official and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's right-hand.The first proposal seeks to amend the 2017 electoral law, under which the 2018 and 2022 elections were held, in preparation for the 2026 vote. It calls for replacing the current 15 constituencies with a single nationwide constituency based on proportional representation.The second proposal concerns the creation of a senate, a reform stipulated by the 1989 Taif Agreement. Under this plan, the senate would consist of 46 members elected according to confessional quotas, with equal representation between Christians and Muslims, while parliamentary elections...
Once again and for the umpteenth time, the debate on the electoral law ahead of the legislative elections has been reignited in Lebanon. The latest development: two bill proposals presented by MP Ali Hassan Khalil, a senior Amal official and Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's right-hand.The first proposal seeks to amend the 2017 electoral law, under which the 2018 and 2022 elections were held, in preparation for the 2026 vote. It calls for replacing the current 15 constituencies with a single nationwide constituency based on proportional representation.The second proposal concerns the creation of a senate, a reform stipulated by the 1989 Taif Agreement. Under this plan, the senate would consist of 46 members elected according to confessional quotas, with equal representation between Christians and Muslims, while parliamentary...