Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri speaking at a religious event in July at Ain al-Tineh. (Photo taken from the Parliament's Flickr account)
“The current electoral law has devastated the country!” Nabih Berri really went for it last Thursday as he renewed his effort for yet another reform of the voting system. The parliamentary speaker’s remarks drew an immediate and sharp response from Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who described the law in question as “excellent.”Three days later, during Eid al-Adha, Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan — who is known to share similar views to Hezbollah — added to the criticism, using particularly harsh language to condemn the current electoral system. He claimed the law fuels the country’s “sectarian barbarism.”Were the two statements coordinated? All signs suggest they were.— First, the timing. These near-simultaneous statements were made a couple of weeks after the end of the municipal elections — likely the time needed for both...
“The current electoral law has devastated the country!” Nabih Berri really went for it last Thursday as he renewed his effort for yet another reform of the voting system. The parliamentary speaker’s remarks drew an immediate and sharp response from Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who described the law in question as “excellent.”Three days later, during Eid al-Adha, Jaafari Mufti Sheikh Ahmad Qabalan — who is known to share similar views to Hezbollah — added to the criticism, using particularly harsh language to condemn the current electoral system. He claimed the law fuels the country’s “sectarian barbarism.”Were the two statements coordinated? All signs suggest they were.— First, the timing. These near-simultaneous statements were made a couple of weeks after the end of the municipal elections — likely the...