BEIRUT: A parliamentary subcommittee mulling two controversial items in the government’s draft election law postponed its meeting until next week after failing to reach agreement.
 
“No agreement has been reached on the points of contention, especially on the military vote,” Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said following the meeting.
 
Makari said the subcommittee would meet again next Tuesday.
 
The subcommittee held its first meeting Tuesday, with members agreeing to keep discussions secret.
 
Composed of representatives of rival blocs, the subcommittee is studying items related to the type of electoral system and the size of districts. The government’s draft law would divide the country into 13 medium-sized districts under a proportional representation system.
 
Interior Minister Marwan Charbel has announced that a backup draft election law is in the works which he will present if parties fail to agree to the government’s proposal.
 
During Tuesday’s session, Future Movement MP Serge Torsarkissian, a member of the subcommittee, said that the “most important thing is that there is insistence [among groups] on holding elections on time.”
 
The March 14 coalition argues that the government’s draft law was designed to serve the interests of Hezbollah, and Christian groups from the opposition have presented a draft law that would divide the country into 50 small districts under a winner-takes-all system.