Mawlawi has announced it will cost candidates LL30 million to run in next years legislative elections. (Credit: Joseph Eid/AFP)
BEIRUT — Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on Wednesday issued a circular announcing that those who wish to run in the upcoming parliamentary elections may apply to do so between January 10 and March 15.
Here’s what we know:
• On Dec. 27, Mawlawi signed a decree effectively scheduling the parliamentary elections for May 15. Both President Michel Aoun and Prime Minister Najib Mikati have also signed this decree.
• The circular issued by Mawlawi specifies the paperwork needed and the fee to apply to run in the elections. At LL30 million, the latter is far higher than the fee for the 2018 parliamentary elections, which was LL8 million.
• The fee increase could be explained by the unprecedented economic crisis that Lebanon has been suffering from since October 2019, which has severely affected its local currency. The lira is now trading at around LL30,000 to the US dollar on the parallel market. At the time of the last elections, the lira was still trading at its official peg of LL1,507.5 to the dollar.
• The circular also schedules the closing date for the submission of electoral lists: April 4. According to the circular, if a runner is not included in a full list before this date, his candidacy will be disqualified.
• The political scene still looks vague ahead of the elections, with longstanding political alliances experiencing tensions, such as those between Hezbollah and the Free Patriotic Movement. Meanwhile, it remains unclear whether the Future Movement will participate in the elections.