Berri: 1960 Electoral Law in Exchange for Immediate Presidential Elections

by **Admin** Sun Apr 13, 2008 6:46 am

Parliament
Speaker Nabih Berri announced his willingness to elect Army Commander
Gen. Michel Suleiman as President "immediately" if the pro-government
majority approved a 1960 electoral law at the same parliament session
scheduled to choose a new head of state for Lebanon.

Berri
told the daily As Safir in remarks published Friday that he is also
willing to abandon a demand for the shapeup of the future cabinet if
the majority March 14 coalition adopted the 1960 law, a demand that has
been rejected by the anti-Syrian alliance.

Al
Mustaqbal MP Mustafa Alloush said in response to Berri's offer that the
proposal needed to be "examined carefully" by March 14 before any
decision is taken.

He
said March 14 will also have to see if Free Patriotic Movement leader
Gen. Michel Aoun and Hizbullah also approve Berri's suggestion.

Berri's
proposal came after a similar offer made by Marada Movement leader
Suleiman Franjieh in which he said "give us the 1960 electoral law and
we will vote for Michel Suleiman tomorrow on condition that the
election law is adopted at the same parliament session to elect a
President."

Berri
said he had asked former President Amin Gemayel during a meeting on
Wednesday to bring in a "written vow" from March 14 on approval of the
1960 election law.

As
Safir said Gemayel tried to get a "clear response" from Berri on
whether his offer also represented the Hizbullah-led opposition, but
the speaker insisted that there "will be no problem whatsoever with the
opposition."

Hizbullah,
meanwhile, refused to comment on Berri's proposal, while a source with
Aoun's FPM said "we are willing to go with the 1960 electoral law …. on
condition elections are held within three months from now and under
supervision of a neutral, transitional government."