Frem Presents a Modern Reform Law Proposal for Electing Parliament and Senate Members

The Chairman of Project Watan’s Executive Board, MP Neemat Frem, has submitted to the Parliament’s presidency a modern draft law he prepared for electing members of both the Parliament and the Senate. This proposal safeguards balances and ensures direct and fair representative participation in power.

In a statement from Parliament, Frem explained that the proposal had been under study for a long time within Project Watan’s research center. “We examined more than 46 laws across various fields, and after an in-depth study, we concluded that the current moment is the most suitable for submitting this draft so it can be included in the ongoing discussions within the Lebanese Parliament,” he stated.

He added: “This proposal takes into account all concerns and aspirations, in all their diversity – whether among sects, regions, or political parties. From this vision, we believed it was best to approach the elections for Parliament and the Senate as an integrated process, rather than in isolation. Our draft proposes holding parliamentary elections based on a majoritarian, non-sectarian system in small electoral districts, while electing the Senate at the national level, under a confessional formula somewhat similar to what is known as the ‘Orthodox Law,’ meaning that each sect elects its own representatives to the Senate.”

Frem noted that the law first sets the number of seats in each of the two chambers – a point he described as fundamental. “We conducted a detailed study of each current parliamentary seat,” he said, “and through analyzing the votes, we found that some MPs are elected by voters from other religious communities or sects. Therefore, we deemed it more appropriate to transfer those seats to the Senate, while distributing the remaining seats between the two chambers as follows:

• The first seat in each district remains within Parliament.
• The second seat is transferred to the Senate.
• The third seat returns to Parliament, and so on, depending on the size of each district and the number of seats.

This approach ultimately resulted in the following distribution: 64 seats in Parliament and 64 seats in the Senate.

First: The Parliament

• Composed of 64 MPs.
• Elected under a majoritarian system.
• Based on non-sectarian vote.
• In small electoral districts spread across 25 cazas.

Second: The Senate

• Composed of 64 Senators.
• Elected at the national level, with Lebanon as a single electoral district.
• Under a proportional system with one preferential vote, on a sectarian basis.
• Each sect elects its own senators through closed lists.”

Frem illustrated his point with an example, explaining how “the Maronites would be allocated 16 seats in the Senate, with all Maronite lists competing nationwide, and all members of the Maronite community voting for those lists.”

“This ensures proportional representation for the diverse ideas and orientations within the sect,” he emphasized.

“The same method applies to the other communities - Sunnis, Shiites, Druze, and others - with lists such as: 13 Sunni candidates, 13 Shiite candidates, 7 Greek Orthodox candidates, 4 Druze candidates, 4 Greek Catholic candidates, etc.”

He noted that the law “aims to preserve the current sectarian and confessional proportionality used in forming Parliament, but transfers it to the Senate in the same ratio. In this way, the system evolves to combine non-sectarian regional representation in Parliament with proportional sectarian representation in the Senate.”

“This is a mixed electoral law that combines majoritarian and proportional systems, comprehensively addressing how to elect both the Parliament and the Senate. The draft also seeks to transform the current structure of Parliament into a fairer and more equitable format by distributing seats between regional and sectarian representation, taking into account all political, confessional, sectarian, and regional concerns in both chambers.”

Key Features of the Proposal

In addition to what Frem outlined, the 60-page draft provides clear and direct answers to decades of reformist notes and demands, most notably how to distribute parliamentary and Senate seats, how to establish an electoral system for Senate elections, and the criteria used to allocate seats between the two chambers.

The proposal also addresses the long-standing demand to establish an Election Supervisory Commission, detailing how it should be formed and its specific duties. It grants civil society organizations with relevant expertise the right to monitor elections under the Commission’s supervision.

Moreover, Frem’s draft sets out, in dedicated and detailed chapters, all matters related to electoral financing and spending, electoral media and publicity, voter education programs, and opinion polls - covering regulations, authorities, and penalties.

The proposal also includes the adoption of a magnetic electronic voting card, ensures a dignified and free voting process for persons with special needs, and outlines procedures for voting by Lebanese expatriates.