Today, the first phase of the Lebanese parliamentary elections begins with the voting of expatriates in the countries that adopt Friday as a holiday for the weekend, namely the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, the UAE, the Sultanate of Oman, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Bahrain, Iraq and Iran. The second phase will be followed by Sunday in the countries that adopt Sunday as a holiday. the week. The Lebanese government says it has removed most of the obstacles surrounding the completion of the elections.
Yesterday, Prime Minister Najib Mikati inaugurated the special operations room established by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to manage and monitor the elections of expatriates abroad. He said, “It is a historic and important moment in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is a real bridge to link the resident Lebanon with the expanding Lebanon.” He saw the expatriate elections as an additional step to tighten the bonds between Lebanon and the Lebanese abroad. He said that he wished that expatriates would participate in the elections more, as only 220,000 Lebanese registered to participate, while the number of Lebanese expatriates was in the millions. He called on the registrants to “not be complacent and to vote heavily in order to have their voice heard and bring about change.” Mikati also pledged to complete the elections “with integrity and transparency,” noting that the fact that no minister in the government was nominated is “an additional confirmation of impartiality.”
Lebanon is proceeding with the completion of the elections that many count on to get out of the state of political stalemate, which has hampered the implementation of reforms, at a time when Lebanon has not yet been put on the path out of its living, economic and financial crises, while the suffering of the Lebanese is exacerbating. The financial difficulties experienced by the state and the deterioration of the salaries of public sector employees who are obligated to secure the voting process imposed additional obstacles that Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi says he was able to overcome so that the elections could pass successfully. Mawlawi stressed that “failing to vote does not benefit anyone, nor does it benefit the country. This is a right for citizens. The government wanted it, and the Ministry of Interior worked hard to ensure good elections for its citizens. Citizens must exercise this right.”
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