A Lebanese voter slips her ballot into the ballot box at a polling station in Dubai in the UAE on May 8, 2022. (Credit: Rula Rouhana/Reuters)
While more than 194,000 Lebanese residing all over the world are due to vote today in the Lebanese legislative elections, the turnout was rather shy in the 16th arrondissement in Paris early in the day.
Bechara Halabi voted at the 16th arrondissement's town hall. A voter of the South Lebanon II constituency, he gave his vote to the "Towards Change" list, which is supported by opposition groups close to the protest movement. At 46 years old, it is his first time to vote in Lebanese legislative elections.
"They tried to persuade me that there was no point in voting, but I say to myself that it is time to try to change something. We are aware that there will be no radical change, but this is a first step towards change," Bechara told L'Orient-Le Jour.
If the opposition parties win seats in the elections, this Lebanese expects them to be united in a coalition that can stand up to the current government.
This is the second time in Lebanon's history that expatriates have had the opportunity to vote for the renewal of the 128-member Parliament. Opposition candidates hope expatriates will vote for change in the political class, which is accused of corruption and incompetence, as the country grapples with an unprecedented economic crisis that has been ongoing since 2019.
In 2018, the last time there were parliamentary elections, only 6 percent of overseas voters chose independent candidates, according to a recent report by the Paris-based think tank the Arab Reform Initiative.
This article was originally published in French by L'Orient-Le Jour.
