Full text of the Maronite
Bishops Statement
Following is a translation of the
statement issued by the Maronite Bishops Council on Wednesday, May 11, 2005:1- The year
2000 electoral law was passed under known circumstance, which we do not want to revert to.
The Lebanese reluctantly accepted it because they had no way to do otherwise .
2- This law was the outcome of a conflict in the Taef Accord, which has now become the
Lebanese Constitution. This Accord provides for equal Christian-Muslim parliamentary
representation on the basis of 64 Christian deputies and 64 Moslem deputies. Yet in
accordance with the year 2000 electoral law, Christians can bring only 15 deputies out of
the 64. The rest, about 50 MPs, are brought to parliament by Muslim votes - a matter that
contradicts the Taef spirit, which stipulates that no authority is legitimate if it
contradicts with the principle of mutual coexistence.
3- In fact, the Christian deputies who are brought to parliament on Muslim lists cannot
possibly represent their voters since they are coerced to comply with the directives of
their list leaders. This is why we opted for smaller constituencies, where voters would
have the chance to elect those whom they believe would represent them better.
4- The insistence, after a prolonged period of stalling, on holding elections on the basis
of this unfair and prejudiced law is wrong and unfair. The Parliament, during the past
years, has become accustomed to producing a new election law every time there was
elections -- every four years. But this time the Parliament went back to a law
rejected by most Lebanese.
5- The disappointment that left it marks on the Lebanese people, especially the
Christians, after the gigantic demonstration of March 14, does not not carry good promises
for Lebanon. We are in dire need for understanding, consensus and cooperation to bring
Lebanon up from the pitfall it plunged into, and which has long been neglected and
overlooked.
6- The insistence on performing the elections on the basis of this unfair law will have
grave consequences which we do not want or wish for, and which began to show with the
withdrawal of some figures form the elections. Pardoned is the one who has forewarned.
7- We call upon all the Lebanese officials, Muslims and
Christians alike, to examine the situation and consider the interests of the country
before any other interests, sticking to the principle of mutual coexistence, which holds
Muslims and Christians on equal footing. |
