A tent set up near a voting center in the UAE on Sunday. (Credit: DR)
The crowd at the polling station established in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, was strong on Sunday morning, as the second day of overseas voting in the Lebanese legislative elections organized abroad got underway. According to Lebanon's Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib, after only two hours, the participation rate was already 15 percent, with more than 3,700 ballots cast.
In the Emirates, 25,066 Lebanese voters are registered to vote today.
Hundreds of voters gathered in front of the polling station established in the Lebanese consulate as soon as it opened. The queue stretched for hundreds of meters. And despite the heat, voters waited patiently. Some brought fans and umbrellas to protect themselves from the sun. Some representatives of the Lebanese Forces and Kataeb were present, but also several representatives and candidates of opposition movements. We noted, in particular, the presence of candidates Marc Daou, Najat Saliba, Halime Kaakour, as well as Melhem Khalaf, among others.
"I came to help the teams in Dubai. There is an incredible energy. Today, I believe in change more than ever. What is happening in Dubai today is a clue to what could happen on May 15. I hope we will have the same energy in Lebanon. We only hear encouragement for the opposition and for change," explained Pascal Abchi, whose vote is not in Dubai but who came to the city to help opposition movements to traditional parties.
This article was originally published in French in L'Orient-Le Jour.
