An Early Election for Lebanon
It seems with 170 plus dead and 5000 injured following the mega blast in the Beirut port on August the 4th 2020, the prime minister of Lebanon has accepted to have early parliamentary elections in two months. Early elections should be welcomed by most Lebanese. As they had been protesting in the streets against the corruption of their government since October the 17 th 2019. However, to truly make a difference, several things need to be done before getting to the elections. To start with, there should be ample time for the opposition to gather themselves into a political party and run for office. Two months is not enough for that. Five to seven months is a more reasonable timeframe. Then, an electoral law that can best translate the will of the people should be drafted. Ever since the liberation of Lebanon from the Syrian occupation in 2005 - in fact, ever since the end of the civil war, if not before - the Lebanese electoral laws were based on the gerrymandering of district...