Lebanese bishops say low voter turnout due to unfair election law

Published: 2005-06-06

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) -- Lebanon's Maronite Catholic bishops said weak voter turnout in the first of four weeks of elections probably was due to an unfair electoral law. The low voter turnout -- 28 percent overall and as low as 10 percent in some Christian areas -- in the Beirut elections May 29 reflects a malaise among voters, the bishops said in a June 1 statement following their monthly meeting. "The cause is perhaps the electoral law which does not treat the citizens equally according to their denominations," the bishops said. In the second round of elections June 5, Lebanon's predominantly Shiite Muslim southern region had voter participation ranging from 60 percent in some towns to less than 10 percent in other areas. In the predominantly Christian village of Ain Ebel, for example, media reported that three of 420 registered voters cast their ballots.

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