A voter casts his ballot during Lebanon's legislative polls of May 6, 2018 in Byblos, north of Beirut. (Credit: Joseph EID/AFP)
BEIRUT — The Supervisory Commission for Elections (SCE), which is tasked with monitoring Lebanon’s May 15 polls, met with a European Union delegation Friday, the National News Agency reported.
Here’s what we know:
• The delegation, headed by Jaroslaw Domanski, head of the limited observation mission for the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), met with SCE, presided over by retired judge Nadim Amer Abdel-Malik, who is seen to be close to Druze leader and MP Walid Jumblatt, to enact an agreement between the two bodies to appoint “observers to monitor the May elections” and to facilitate their mission.
• The Supervisory Commission’s financial resources have been reduced, which will affect its ability to carry out its monitoring role. The members’ mandates were extended after the commission formation was delayed. Abdel Malik said that the body’s supervisory function was impeded by its lack of independence from the executive branch, specifically the interior ministry. Following the 2018 polls, the commission submitted a report detailing the reasons behind its ineffectiveness, which included the judiciary’s lack of cooperation, which has yet to issue rulings on infractions the monitoring body reported.
• Closely watched by the international community, on several occasions, the UN, the European Union and the Arab League, have called for the polls to be properly conducted, while fears of their delay have been repeatedly stated by local actors. The secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmad Aboul Gheit, said during a visit to Beirut in March that the pan-Arab organization was "ready to supervise the elections."