Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati during a visit to the Center of Supervision and Management of the Vote of Lebanese Abroad, at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Beirut on May 8, 2022. (Credit: Dalati and Nohra)
BEIRUT — Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Sunday that he hoped the “new Parliament will quickly elect a new Parliament speaker in order to continue the government’s work,” during a visit to the overseas voting operation room at the Foreign Affairs Ministry in Beirut.
Here’s what we know:
• “We will collaborate with the new deputies so that they may tackle essential issues and contribute to Lebanon’s recovery,” Mikati said.
• The prime minister remarked that the proper functioning of the overseas vote was “thanks to the cooperation between the Interior Ministry and the Foreign Affairs Ministry,” adding that the “concerned parties are ensuring the transparency of the elections.” Mikati also assured that he was following up on the transportation of ballot boxes to Lebanon.
• Mikati additionally welcomed the rejection of the 16th constituency — a proposition notably supported by the Free Patriotic Movement which would have limited citizens abroad to voting for six parliamentary seats in a specialized constituency — in favor of allowing expatriates to cast their ballots for the entirety of the 128 parliamentary seats, with each voter casting a ballot in their district of registration in Lebanon.