The secretary general of the Lebanese resistance movement,Hezbollah, Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah on Wednesday called for “improving” the current electoral law while declaring that his party does not have “reservations” over President Michel Aoun's call for post-polls defense strategy talks.
“The upcoming elections represent a serious opportunity for the Lebanese people to re-produce their national authorities,” said Nasrallah in a televised address to announce his party's electoral platform.
Hizbullah Secretary General said Hizbullah's platform includes “improving the electoral law, especially in terms of turning Lebanon into a single electoral district and lowering the voting age to 18.”
Hizbullah had long called for an electoral law based on proportional representation and a single electoral district.
Separately, Nasrallah said Hizbullah's MPs “will work to provide the necessary capabilities to strengthen the security and military institutions, topped by the Lebanese Army.”
“The necessary funds must be provided to enable them to perform their missions in defending Lebanon,” Hizbullah Secretary General emphasized.
“The judicial system must be developed so that the judiciary becomes an independent authority,” Nasrallah added.
And calling for “creating a planning ministry,” Nasrallah underlined that Hizbullah's ministers “will not agree to any outsourcing agreement without a tendering process.”
“It seems that the country's financial situation is dangerous... This danger may pose an existential threat to the state and the country should this situation persist,” Hizbullah Secretary General warned.
Nasrallah announced that Hizbullah will form “a special unit tasked with confronting corruption and the waste of public money.”
“We commit to keep our organization and party clean and uninvolved in any corruption,” Hizbullah Secretary General pledged.
“Those who have any suspicions of corruption against Hizbullah should present them (to the authorities). We will hold accountable anyone implicated in corruption and graft,” he added.
“I will personally follow up on the issue of combating corruption, because we are entering a dangerous period,” Nasrallah vowed.
Hizbullah's chief noted that the new electoral law is “an opportunity for better representation for our allies and friends.”
Turning to Aoun's call for defense strategy talks, Nasrallah said the president “has the right to call for talks over a national defense strategy.”
“We do not have any reservations over this call, especially that it came from President Aoun,” he said.
Observers view Aoun’s rised to power as a political victory for Hezbollah, which will greatly diminish the Saudi influence in Lebanon’s political arena.
