BEIRUT - In an interview with Al-Afkar magazine's last edition, Interior Minister Ziad Baroud declared the 2009 parliamentary elections would be decisive. He stated that the principle of proportionality was one of the most important reforms in the new election law: Lebanon’s unique diversity demands a system that correctly represents its many different communities, he explained. “Our problem in Lebanon is not political and sectarian diversity; it is the fact that Lebanon’s political system doesn’t manage this diversity in a positive manner,” he said.

The Interior Minister said that his ministry needed a reasonable period of time to prepare and implement amendments to ensure a good voting process.

According to Baourd, it would be preferable to have a constitutional council by the time the elections take place: “A constitutional council is a fundamental basis to build an electoral process and a legal system”.