Project Watan: Revitalizing Sovereign and Reformist Options

Project Watan’s Executive Board held its weekly meeting, chaired by MP Neemat Frem and attended by all members. The following statement was issued afterwards:

• Project Watan emphasizes that the current stage can no longer tolerate hesitation or passivity. Rapid developments demand bold decisions that rise to the historic moment and meet the aspirations of the Lebanese people and the international community. Either we take decisive action, or Lebanon will slip irreversibly off the map of effective influence.

What is needed today is a new approach based on revitalizing national sovereign options and countering the threat of total collapse. Restoring Lebanon’s positive role in its Arab and international surroundings is no longer just one option among others – it has become a national duty that cannot be postponed or bargained away.

• The Executive Board affirms that the very survival of the state now depends on rooting out the system of paralysis and stagnation that strangles its administration and cripples its performance. Talk of economic recovery or social stability, while institutions are eroded and stripped of capacity and expertise, is merely another facet of administrative collapse. The real challenge – as we begin to fill vacancies and make new appointments – lies in moving forward with a restructuring of public administrations based on a modern vision rooted in efficiency and productivity. This must include accelerating full automation to transform the administration into a transparent, interactive platform that restores citizens’ trust in the state and places the public interest at the core of its priorities.

• The Executive Board noted the repeated maneuvers and stances that accompany every electoral milestone, where laws are tailored to suit the interests of parties rather than those of the nation. This is one of the main reasons for the collapse of public confidence in the political system and its institutions. Hence the urgent need for an electoral law that stems from the spirit of the Constitution and upholds the right of all Lebanese – both residents and expatriates – to freely and fairly choose their representatives. A modern law that integrates structural reforms, such as magnetic voting cards, megacenters, and other measures that ensure integrity and transparency. A law not tailored to fit any sect, party, or leader, but drafted in the interest of the nation and future generations.

In this context, the Board reminds all that Project Watan has put forward a comprehensive electoral proposal, presented by MP Neemat Frem, based on creating an effective parliament and a Senate that guarantees national balance – laying the groundwork for an advanced, just, and inclusive governance formula that embraces Lebanon’s diversity in unity and under the umbrella of the state.