Beirut: «Al-Khaleej» – Agencies
Today, Friday, the Lebanese parliamentary elections train; The expatriate voting operations begin in the Arab countries as a first station, followed by the expatriate voting in the rest of the American, European, African and Asian countries on Sunday, with the third station in Lebanon on the 15th of this month, while the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Antonio Guterres, called for free parliamentary elections And fair, transparent and inclusive in Lebanon, at a time when the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Abdallah Bou Habib, affirmed that Lebanon will confirm at the Brussels conference on May 9-10 that it can no longer bear the burden of the Syrian exodus.
The start of the elections
The elections in Lebanon in its 2022 session will begin with the voting of expatriates in 10 Arab countries, to be followed on Sunday by the voting of 48 countries in European, American, African and Asian countries. Beirut, in turn, is kept in the coffers of the Banque du Liban, and is not opened until after the end of the elections of the 15th of this month, in which the votes are counted with the general results of the 15 constituencies in Lebanon, and the 128 deputies who won are known.
After his meeting with the Grand Mufti of the Lebanese Republic, Sheikh Abdul Latif Derian, yesterday, Minister of Interior and Municipalities Bassam Mawlawi confirmed the readiness of the Ministry of Interior to complete the electoral process, God willing, successfully and without any obstacles.
A UN call for comprehensive elections
On the other hand, the Secretary-General of the United Nations called for holding free, fair, transparent and inclusive parliamentary elections in Lebanon on May 15. In a new report to the Security Council, Guterres urged the rapid formation of the government after the elections, which would prioritize implementing reforms that address the country’s crises.
He added, “The political polarization in the country has deepened, and the Lebanese people are struggling daily to meet basic basic needs.” He referred to the frequent protests across the country sparked by general frustration with the political situation and the economic and financial crisis.
Guterres noted that proposals made over the past two years regarding the women’s quota are still pending in Parliament, and urged the rapid formation of the new government with the full participation of women and youth. He believed that Hezbollah’s maintenance of large and advanced military capabilities outside the control of the Lebanese government still constitutes a source of grave concern.
Guterres urged the Lebanese authorities to intensify their efforts to monopolize the possession of arms and the monopoly on the use of force throughout its territory.
Syrian refugees
Meanwhile, President Michel Aoun chaired a meeting attended by Minister of Foreign Affairs Abdullah Bou Habib and Social Affairs Hector Hajjar, and representatives of the Presidency of the Government, devoted to determining Lebanon’s position in the conference on Syrian refugees that will be held in Brussels between 9 and 10 May.
After the meeting, Bou Habib said, “Lebanon will confirm at the Brussels conference that it can no longer bear the burden of displacement, and we do not want to help, but rather take care of ourselves if the displaced return to their country.”
He added, “We will implement the decision of the Council of Ministers in the issue of displacement and we want to cooperate with the United Nations, but taking into account our interest that we know.”