BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 29 (UPI) -- The European Union said it will offer technical and financial assistance to Lebanon to reform the electoral law before the next general elections.
Ignacio Salafranca, head of the EU team that monitored Lebanon's general elections last month for the first time, told a news conference in Beirut Friday that the existing electoral law should be completely revised to become more transparent, just and representative.
Reading from a final report on the poll, the first vote since Syria pulled out from Lebanon last April, Salafranca said delimitation of electoral constituencies should be carefully considered in drafting the new election law to ensure equality of votes.
Salafranca made several recommendations, including limiting spending on election campaigns and ensuring equal access for all candidates to media coverage.
He also proposed that voting should take place during one single day, instead over four phases, to allow for equal campaigning opportunities all through the country.
Lowering the age of eligibility for voting to 18 instead of 21, and observing silence on the last day of the campaign and on Election Day, especially in and around polling stations, were also recommended.
