BEIRUT: An electoral draft law referred to Parliament by the Future movement Monday seeks to divide Christians and incite problems among them, Change and Reform bloc MP Alain Aoun said Tuesday.

“The [Future Movement] proposal aims at creating a rift between Christian parties who have reached a consensus over the electoral law,” Aoun told reporters during a press conference in Parliament.

Future Movement lawmakers Monday presented to Parliament the bloc’s draft electoral law which calls for Lebanon to be divided into 37 small districts based on a winner-takes-all system and the creation of a senate, in a proposal said to be aiming at allaying Christian concerns over representation.

The proposal was based on a four-point initiative declared by the movement’s leader, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri.

However, Aoun said that Christians would not be divided.

“The Christians will prove they are aware of such a trap and will not fall into it,” he added.

Hariri’s initiative came after his party rejected a draft law agreed on by the country’s four major Christian parties.

The Orthodox Gathering draft law, which has a proportional system with Lebanon as a single district and stipulates each sect elects its own representatives, was also rejected by President Michel Sleiman, MP Walid Jumblatt’s Progressive Socialist Party, Prime Minister Najib Mikati and a number of independent Christian politicians.

Following the first round of talks of the parliamentary subcommittee which resumed meetings Tuesday, MP Robert Ghanem secribed discussions as “positive” and said there is a possibility to reach a consensus over the hybrid electoral law.

The subcommittee is discussing a hybrid law that combines a winner-takes-all-system and proportional representation.

Ghanem, who heads the subcommittee, said that the Future Movement proposal will not be part of the subcommittee’s discussions.

“It is up to the joint committees to discuss the proposal and not the subcommittee,” said Ghanem.

“Still, if there are any important ideas we can include in our discussions, we will do that,” he added.

Meanwhile, MP Serge Torsarkissian slammed Aoun’s remarks and accused him of using the Armenian file for electoral bids.

“The Armenian file is not an electoral file for some parties to score bids,” said Aoun.

Aoun said that Hariri’s proposal marginalizes the representation of some groups in the country including Armenians.

Torsarkissian said that the Armenians are Christians and Aoun cannot speak of them as a separate group.

“We reject discriminating between Armenians and Christians, we consider ourselves as a part of a larger group,” said Torsarkissian.

Prior to attending the subcommittee’s morning session, Future MP Ahmad Fatfat slammed Aoun’s remarks as “provocative and theatrical.”

The subcommittee is discussing a hybrid law that combines a winner-takes-all-system and proportional representation.

MP Sami Gemayel, of the Kataeb party, also said before joining the subcommittee meeting that his attendance could be the last if talks don’t result in a concrete solution to the electoral crisis.

“My attendance of today's subcommittee meeting could be the last if it fails to reach consensus on an electoral draft law,” said Gemayel.

According to Aoun, Hariri’s initiative not only aims at dividing Christians but also seeks to persuade Jumblatt’s PSP into an alliance with the Future Movement in the coming 2013 parliamentary elections.

“This is a law aimed to lure MP Walid Jumblatt into an electoral alliance with the Future Movement,” said Aoun.

“Through his proposal, Hariri is trying to distribute consolation prizes to his new aspired ally,” he added.

The PSP leader said over the weekend that Hariri’s proposal is not suitable for his party and its supporters.

Jumblatt also said that he discussed the proposal with Hariri during their meeting in Paris last month and said they should think of other, different formulas.

Aoun also criticized the law’s distribution of electoral districts and said they don’t ensure fair representation for Christians.

“According to their proposal, no more than 38 Christians MPs out of 64 will be elected by Christians,” said Aoun.

In his comments, Fatfat said that the Future Movement allows Christians to elect 48 of their MPs.

Aoun added that the proposal is only a way to keep the old 1960 law used in the 2009 parliamentary elections under a different title.

“The bottom line is that the Future Movement is seeking to keep the 1960 law in another formula,” said Aoun.

Hariri and Jumblatt are one of the few figures that have supported the use of the amended 1960 law used in the 2009 parliamentary elections. The law, rejected by most groups, is based on the qada system.