It is often the case that the young have much to teach the old. The student council elections at Universite Saint Joseph (USJ) Tuesday implemented what Lebanon’s politicians have long-discussed, and could produce a positive effect on our national electoral system. Students at the university chose for the first time to use a proportional representation system to elect representatives to their student body – a historic step for Lebanon that signals a growing movement in support for a new electoral system. 

With prominent figures such as President Michel Sleiman and Interior Minister Ziyad Baroud lending their support for proportional representation, calls for reform have been growing in recent years. Fouad Bout­ros, who headed the Boutros Commission into electoral reform, also proposed that a proportional representation system be partially introduced for the 2013 elections, arguing that it would ease political polarization and give independent candidates a chance to be elected.  

For years, politicians have told the Lebanese that such a system is too complicated, and that people would never understand it. Patronizing statements such as these from parties concerned only with preserving the status-quo, and with it their own power, reveal an outdated attitude that soon looks to change. 

If the Lebanese can live with and understand the current system, which has been shown to be extremely proficient in fueling rifts, they should have no problem understanding one whereby a greater number are represented in the political system. In such a diverse nation with so many sects and minorities, a system that gives more groups a say would surely be the sensible choice. 

The polls that took place at USJ represent a landmark in Lebanon’s political development, and while no one expects perfection, they should at least teach us something. Universities could act as a testing ground for proportional representation; students have an opportunity to shape what may become the future political system of their country, and to champion what they have practiced when they leave education and enter society.  

Lebanon’s political class should watch with a careful eye the elections and their aftermath. If this experiment is successful, we could well see a knock-on effect with other university elections using the same system; beyond that, the effect of an increasing number of people embracing the notion of inclusion and rejecting sectarianism could reverberate throughout civil society. 

The Lebanese Constitution and the Taif Accord both call for an end to the sectarian nature of Lebanese politics. Proportional representation offers a chance to honor these commitments, and to move toward a more contemporary and representative politics. The alternative is almost certain to be a repetition of the countless crises that have plagued Lebanon for too many years.