How to have a fair election

The goal of any electoral law in a representative democracy is fair and accurate representation. Many people in the country have argued that even with parliamentary seats divided among the country’s different religious groups, Lebanon has not done well in achieving this fair and accurate representation with its own electoral laws. A long-standing allegation against Lebanon’s political elite posits that those in power draft laws to keep themselves and/or their political parties in those positions. And for at least the past 12 years, politicians have debated more than ten draft laws aimed toward fairer representation, with little success. Draft law discussions are currently raging among the country’s various political parties, outside of both Parliament and public spotlight. Daily press reports offer hints as to the drafts being tabled, but no repository of draft law texts exists for interested citizens to examine the various ideas in detail. According to the current