Introduction to the evening news 30-01-2013

At a time when politicians were busy renewing their terms by looking for an electoral law leading to the same balances and same MPs, the surprise came on a completely unrelated topic: the issue which timing was deemed by both Prime Minister Najib Mikati and MP Ahmad Fatfat "inappropriate for the time being." In less than 48 hours, around 12,000 Lebanese citizens joined the page “Tzawajna Madani w 3a 2balkon” (We got a civil marriage, hope you will be next in line), a step proving that now would be the best time to discuss this issue and that it is already enlisted in the agenda of many Lebanese.       

When proportional representation is suggested to guarantee the representation of minorities inside electoral districts, an optional civil law must also be suggested for minorities which consider that love and mixed-faith marriages are still possible in a highly sectarian country.. This is a right no civil servant, minister, prime minister or Mufti can deprive the Lebanese of, especially that the salaries of those are being paid from the funds of Lebanese taxpayers.          

However, the most surprising thing is that while several MPs got a civil marriage, not one of them was courageous enough to raise the voice to revive the 1998 optional civil personal status law. Furthermore, those politicians who were accused of Takfeerism by the Mufti of the Lebanese Republic did not move a finger to defend their dignity or the dignity of the positions they occupy.    

All these developments and more in our detailed news bulletin.