Can Lebanon Ever Have an Independent Electoral Commission ?

President Sleiman had a good idea today: We need to establish an independent body to monitor the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections in 2013, because:

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 wonderful sentiment. Independent electoral commissions are vital for democracies everywhere. But the question is: Can it be done in Lebanon? Can you create an institution tasked with monitoring a process that will choose Lebanon’s most powerful people, then fill this institution with “independent” field workers, officials and mandarins? Do we have such people in Lebanon?

This is a surprisingly difficult undertaking in Lebanon. The first problem will be choosing the sect of the head of such a commission. Once an agreement on that is found (a big assumption), we will need to find someone who is at an equal distance from all sides, who somehow manages to win everyone’s trust and who is respectable enough to inspire confidence in the Lebanese people. He/she should also be honest enough to withstand the great barrage of bribes that will come his/her way from competing regional interests. If you think replacing Ziad Baroud as the Minister of Interior took time, wait till you see this.

That person will then be tasked with creating a brand new bureaucracy with offices and people all over Lebanon. These people will also have to be trustworthy and independent of all religious and political affiliations, and yet they should have a complete familiarity with Lebanese politics. They will have to have no association with governmental organization and — if we’re paranoid enough — no association with foreign or foreign-funded NGOs.

Oh and all of this should be done in less than one year. Good luck Mr. President.