Bassil Decries ‘Legislative Massacre’ against Electoral Law

Bassil Decries ‘Legislative Massacre’ against Electoral Law

Free Patriotic Movement chief MP Jebran Bassil on Tuesday lamented what he called “a legislative massacre against the electoral law,” after parliament voted to cancel six parliamentary seats for expats stipulated by the 2018 electoral law.

“We will file an appeal over the issue of expat voting because the constitutional principle is clear and it has been violated. This is a constitutional, political and national violation,” Bassil said after a parliamentary session.

“It is shameful to say that expats only know Lebanon through ‘kibbeh and sfiha,’ they are not a decoration as some have described them,” Bassil added, referring to two traditional Lebanese dishes.

He also decried that setting March 27 as a date for the elections is “manipulation” amid expected bad weather and the Christian fasting season.

Bassil also voiced surprise that parliament ditched the electoral megacenters idea, noting that “it facilitates the electoral process.”

As for the postponement of the decision on women’s quota, the FPM chief said “our proposal which includes granting women the ability to be represented by at least one seat in every electoral list could have been adopted.”