CDRL Calls for Broad Elections Reform in Lebanon
Ahead of the Spring 2005 National Elections, Enforcement of Security Council Resolution 1559, Proposes Reform Agenda

Beirut, September 6, 2004: Many have attributed to Syrian pressure and arms-twisting the Friday, September 3, 2004, vote, by a plurality of 75%, by the Lebanese Parliament to join Emile Lahoud, Rafik Hariri, and cabinet members in defying UN Security Council Resolution No. 1559 and to effectively re-elect Lahoud, unopposed, to a new term of three years. The Center for Democracy and the Rule of Law (CDRL) differs, because such an accusation implies the existence of a free government in the first place. This is not the case. In fact most of the members of parliament, who did not support the constitutional amendment, went on the record opposing or denouncing Resolution 1559 and none of them openly called for the withdrawal of the Syrian and other foreign troops from the country or disbanding armed militias such as Hizbullah.

CDRL believes that the September 3, 2004, vote was one of the inevitable products of the last national elections held on August 27 and September 3, 2000, that brought about the present submissive parliament. Those elections were conducted by the minister of the interior, a close Syrian ally and a former Lebanese Forces functionary who was saved from certain doom by direct Syrian intervention, and son-in-law of Emile Lahoud. Furthermore, those elections took place in the shadow of total Syrian domination and without any pretense of integrity. It lacked almost all the necessary ingredients, conditions and safeguards for freedom. Without such safeguards, parliamentary elections are not at all indicative of democracy. There is a Syrian parliament and there was an Iraqi parliament. In fact there is a whole Union of Arab Parliaments currently presided upon by Nabih Berri, the Lebanese parliamentary speaker, which has been holding a meeting in Beirut. Such parliaments are not! good evidence of democracy.

The next elections are due to take place in April-May, 2005, unless the parliament extends its own term. Before such elections take place, the electoral rules, that enabled the past elections to give birth to the current and past rubber-stamp parliaments, must be decisively changed with the active support of the international community.

Much of the required new rules and safeguards are self-evident and routinely observed in functioning democracies, such as:

A. The elections must be run by an independent commission in a process where integrity is guaranteed.
B. Districting based on one single parliamentary seat for each district and approximately the same number of voters.
C. Voter registration tied to actual residence and citizenship and not to the place of birth registration and religion.
D. Voter registration and voting by Lebanese citizens who are resident abroad.
E. Voting through a printed ballot that carries the names of all candidates.
F. No fee (ten million pounds in Lebanon!) for declaring candidacy, but each candidate must file with such declaration a written political program that will be published by the elections committee free of charge.
G. A publicly-funded awareness campaign to highlight the ideals of democracy through national elections accompanied by a voter's manual on how to participate, and the rights and obligations of voters.
H. Spending restrictions and subsidies to insure equality of arms.
I. Equal opportunity in the access to the media.
J. Restricting the participation by civil servants, clergymen and the media in electioneering.
K. No electioneering on voting day.
L. No assistance by candidates' agents in voter registration or transporting voters to the balloting centers.
M. Restrictions on the hiring of agents and campaign workers by candidates.
N. Careful Monitoring by Lebanese and international observers.

CDRL urges the international community to actively support the swift introduction of elections reforms in Lebanon within the context of demanding active compliance with UN Security Council Resolution 1559. For it is a necessary but not a sufficient condition for democracy to achieve the withdrawal of Syrian and other foreign troops from Lebanese soil and the disbanding of the armed militias. It is not permissible, however, to allow them thereafter to effectively retain their influence in place through the corrupt politicians and an elections process lacking integrity and fit only for oppressive regimes.

This press release and background information is available online at http://www.cdrl.org/