Diaspora vote: What can you do to push towards an amendment of the electoral law?

Amid an electoral law that limits expatriate voting in the 2026 parliamentary elections to just six dedicated seats instead of all 128, activists and groups are mobilizing to change the law and achieve political equality between resident and non-resident Lebanese citizens.

On June 30, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri blocked a proposed amendment that would have allowed expatriates to vote for all 128 MPs, as they did in 2018 and 2022. Instead, he seeks to revive an old clause restricting diaspora voters to only six reserved seats.

What do the diaspora have to say?

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Although options to pressure MPs on specific issues are limited in Lebanon, here are some steps expatriates can take to push for an amendment to the electoral law:

1. Petition

An online petition addressed to MPs has been launched to reaffirm the diaspora’s rejection of the six-seat allocation system for expatriates in Parliament. So far, over 15,000 people have signed it.

While this petition was originally launched about four years ago, before the 2022 elections, it has recently gained renewed momentum amid growing concerns that this restrictive law may soon be implemented.

The petition is organized by 16 groups, including advocacy group Kulluna Irada, the global campaign and platform Sawti, the Lebanese Diaspora Network, the Celibal Latin American Center for Lebanese Studies, Change Lebanon, and others.

“We, diaspora groups, have taken the initiative to propose amendments to Law No. 44/2017, which mandates the six-seat system starting in the 2026 elections. These proposed amendments seek to guarantee the right of expatriate Lebanese to vote in their original electoral districts and to eliminate the six seats reserved exclusively for the diaspora,” reads the petition.

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2. Get informed

Organizations and civil society groups have been issuing statements explaining the issue in detail and raising awareness about its importance.

For example, on May 13, a statement from Lebanese diaspora groups clearly outlined proposed amendments to the law. The statement emphasized the primary demand to abolish the six-seat rule for non-residents, but also included other calls such as eliminating the classification of the “diaspora” as a single electoral district, extending the registration period to six months, and reducing the required number of registered voters per electoral center from 200 to 100.

The statement was signed by the same 16 groups that organized the petition mentioned earlier.

Explainers are also useful for understanding the background and legal aspects of the issue. For instance, a recent L’Orient Today article titled “The tug of war around the diaspora vote, explained” answers key questions in detail. It clarifies under which law Lebanese abroad first gained voting rights, how the 2018 and 2022 votes were conducted, what has changed since then, and why some political parties are now seeking to limit the diaspora vote to just six seats.

3. Join groups

Additionally, some diaspora organizations encourage expatriates who share their vision to join them and stay informed about potential lobbying and outreach efforts.

For example, the Lebanese Diaspora Network’s website states: "If you are an expatriate, a representative of a diasporic group, or of Lebanese descent, and you share our vision and mission for Lebanon and want to participate in achieving it, we encourage you to join us from wherever you are in the world."