BEIRUT: President Michel Sleiman said Monday Lebanon was in need of an electoral system that ensures fair representation for everyone and called for setting up an independent authority to monitor elections.

“An electoral system that ensures a healthy representation for all the components of the society reflects the will of the Lebanese to live together, a [determination] that has been practiced since independence,” Sleiman told a conference at Phoenicia Hotel in Beirut.

The Lebanese president also stressed the need for an electoral system that was not sectarian-based.

“An electoral system that ensures healthy representation will keep voters away from [partisanship],” Sleiman said.

He underlined the need for establishing an independent authority to monitor “two fundamental issues – managing the elections process and controlling spending.”

Sleiman was addressing a conference on proportional representation ahead of the 2013 elections.