The hot political topic of the week is the electoral law and everything else has been put on the backburner. In reality, the main objective of the current discussions is to preserve or expand one’s own parliamentary presence. The reference model, be it the German one or the French one, proportional or majoritarian, is nonetheless moulded to suit the electoral ambitions of one or other party. No one is taking public opinion into account.
In the public initiative law, signed by 350,000 people, amongst which was yours truly as the only minister and, I believe, the only parliamentarian to do so (video | article), the citizens clearly expressed their desire to participate directly in the process of defining the new electoral law.
The popular draft bill makes provision for direct preference, a maximum of two terms in office, albeit non-consecutive, for any parliamentarian, and ineligibility in the event of final criminal conviction. For me, these three points are non-negotiable in terms of any present or future discussions regarding the electoral law, which must not be discussed behind closed doors or in bilateral meetings, where there is no written record of the proceedings.
Elections represent the peak of democracy and the applicable rules must be discussed openly, with the main objective being maximum transparency and genuine representation of the citizens in Parliament.