BEIRUT — The ballot boxes containing the votes of 474 Lebanese voters in Iran and 4,872 voters in Qatar arrived in Beirut Saturday, the day after parliamentary elections took place in Iran and nine Arab countries, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Here’s what we know:
• Local TV channel LBCI also indicated that the ballot boxes from Saudi Arabia are on their way to Beirut.
• Lebanon's ambassador to Iran, Abbas Hassan, arrived in Beirut with the ballot boxes. According to the Foreign Affairs Ministry, in Iran, 474 Lebanese out of the 642 registered (73.8%) voted. In Qatar, 4,872 people voted out of the 7,345 who registered. The ballot boxes containing their votes have been received by officials from the Interior Ministry and are expected to be transferred to the Banque du Liban.
• 6,456 people voted in Saudi Arabia out of the 13,105 registered (49.3% ).
• Overall, nearly 59% of Lebanese voters from the ten countries who registered voted yesterday. This is the second time in history Lebanese abroad participated in parliamentary elections, after the 2018 parliamentary elections. Voting will continue on Sunday, May 8, in the rest of the countries for expat voters and will be held on May 15 in Lebanon.