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MORNING BRIEF

Diaspora voting numbers, LL100 billion bail for Raja Salameh, election passport renewal: Everything you need to know to start your Friday

Here’s what happened yesterday and what to expect today, Friday, May 13, and this the weekend

Diaspora voting numbers, LL100 billion bail for Raja Salameh, election passport renewal: Everything you need to know to start your Friday

A man sits near an electoral campaign signs that reads "Vote for Lebanon" in Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon, on May 9, 2022. Picture taken May 9, 2022. (Credit: Mohamed Azakir/Reuters)

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The Foreign Ministry released voter turnout numbers for last weekend’s diaspora vote in the parliamentary elections. The final tally showed that last Friday and Sunday, 142,041 people voted out of 225,277 registered. However, a discrepancy was noted between the figures released yesterday by the Foreign Ministry and the ones released on Wednesday by the Interior Ministry. The total difference was 347 voters. When contacted by L'Orient Today on Thursday, a spokesperson for the Foreign Ministry could not immediately account for the discrepancy. Figures showed that the most votes came from Europe, with 45,441 voters comprising almost one-third of the total votes. This was followed by Asia, with 36,738 voters and 25.86 percent of total votes; North America with 33,879 voters and 23.85 percent; Oceania with 11,876 and 8.36 percent; Africa with 11,860 and 8.35 percent; and Latin America with 2,247 voters, representing 1.58 percent of the total votes. Lebanese expatriates voted in 59 countries over the weekend in the second election cycle for voters abroad.

A bail of LL100 billion has been set for Raja Salameh, around $3.7 million at the parallel market exchange rate. Salameh is the younger brother of central bank Governor Riad Salameh. The former is accused of complicity in illicit enrichment by Judge Ghada Aoun, and has been in detention since March 17. His charges are related to alleged purchases and rentals of apartments in Paris by the Salameh brothers, including the rental of some properties by Banque du Liban from a former companion of Riad Salameh. Both Salamehs have denied the charges against them. A hearing for Riad Salameh in the case is scheduled for June 9, however, he has failed to appear for questioning in the past. Despite ordering the release, the presiding judge froze 40 of Raja Salameh’s properties and issued a travel ban against him. Riad Salameh also faces an ongoing Swiss probe into financial gains made by a British Virgin Islands company Raja Salameh is connected to, Forry Associates Ltd. The Salameh brothers have also denied wrongdoing in that case.

Cabinet agreed yesterday to grant passport renewal for one day to allow citizens without an ID to vote in the parliamentary elections. The initiative was set forth by Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. President Aoun initially refused the measure at the previous cabinet meeting. In early April, General Security announced that it suspended the ability to schedule appointments to obtain passports on its online platform, saying the company contracted to operate this platform had not been paid. At the time, General Security said: “Since 2020, General Security centers experienced high demand for passports,” which was more than tenfold the amount in the preceding period, adding that “this affected the amount of passports available.” The price of renewal for the one-day extension is LL200,000. The decision comes just three days before Sunday’s domestic vote in the parliamentary elections. Separately, the cabinet approved the energy minister's proposal to grant licenses to build solar power plants across the country to 11 companies to begin producing 15 megawatts of solar power each.

Almost one-third of Lebanon’s labor force is unemployed, according to a survey conducted by the Central Administration of Statistics and the International Labor Organization. The survey, released Thursday, also showed that the unemployment rate among youth aged 15 to 24 is 47.8 percent. The total unemployment rate increased from 11.4 percent in 2018-19 to 29.6 percent in 2022. Though the employment situation has deteriorated across the country, the sharpest increase was seen in Baalbek-Hermel, where joblessness jumped 30 percent, reaching 40.7 percent. The survey’s sample covered 9,459 households, but only 5,444 households responded, resulting in a response rate of 57.6 percent. More than half of those surveyed aged 15 years and above expressed a desire to emigrate. Average monthly earnings of employees were reported at LL2,300,000 compared to around LL1,200,000 in 2018-19.

Cabinet agreed yesterday to grant passport renewal for one day to allow citizens without an ID to vote in the parliamentary elections. The initiative was set forth by Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi. President Aoun initially refused the measure at the previous cabinet meeting. In early April, General Security announced that it suspended the ability to schedule appointments to obtain passports on its online platform, saying the company contracted to operate this platform had not been paid. At the time, General Security said: “Since 2020, General Security centers experienced high demand for passports,” which was more than tenfold the amount in the preceding period, adding that “this affected the amount of passports available.” The price of renewal for the one-day extension is LL200,000. The decision comes just three days before Sunday’s domestic vote in the parliamentary elections. Separately, the cabinet approved the energy minister's proposal to grant licenses to build solar power plants across the country to 11 companies to begin producing 15 megawatts of solar power each.

On the eve of the parliamentary elections, read the full series of immersive regional reports written by L’Orient Today and L’Orient-Le Jour. Don’t forget to check out our Mapping Lebanon series to get all the latest statistics on the legislative elections.


Want to get the Morning Brief by email? Click here to sign up.The Foreign Ministry released voter turnout numbers for last weekend’s diaspora vote in the parliamentary elections. The final tally showed that last Friday and Sunday, 142,041 people voted out of 225,277 registered. However, a discrepancy was noted between the figures released yesterday by the Foreign Ministry and the ones released...