A Lebanese person slipping their ballot into a box in Tehran during the Lebanese legislative elections, May 6, 2022. Photo AFP
Lebanon's ministries of Interior and Foreign Affairs announced in a joint statement Tuesday that registration for expatriates wishing to take part in the next parliamentary elections from their country of residence will be open from Oct. 2 to Nov. 20, 2025. The parliamentary elections are scheduled for spring 2026.
This announcement comes as the debate over expatriate voting is still raging in Parliament, which was unable to convene Tuesday due to lack of quorum (not enough members present). The current law stipulates that expatriates can vote for six independent MPs representing different continents, who are added to the 128 seats elected by local residents.
Many MPs as well as a significant portion of expat associations reject this provision, arguing that expatriates should be able to fully participate in the country's electoral politics by voting for all 128 seats, according to their place of origin in Lebanon, just as local residents do. They also point to the complexities involved in implementing the law as it currently stands.
Among the political forces backing the current law are the Shiite duo made up of Hezbollah and Amal, as well as the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Their critics suspect they fear a fully representative expat vote could reduce their parties' influence in Lebanon. They, in turn, accuse their political rivals of seeking to postpone the elections for their own interests.
The bill to amend the electoral law (submitted by several MPs and processed as a double-urgency item), which Parliament Speaker and Amal leader Nabih Berri refuses for now to put on the General Assembly's agenda, triggered sharp tensions in Parliament on Monday, as well as a loss of quorum. The session, which was meant to discuss other proposed laws, was first adjourned to Tuesday, then postponed again due to lack of quorum, as MPs in favor of the amendment boycotted the session.
Reacting Monday to the controversy, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar said he had "received a report outlining the difficulties in applying the law, but no new law has been adopted." "The interior minister must apply the existing law and coordinate with the foreign minister for the registration" of voters abroad. "The parliamentary elections will be held as scheduled in May 2026, and the final deadline for expatriate voter registration has been set for Nov. 20," he added.
Tuesday's joint statement noted that "this announcement is the result of ongoing cooperation and coordination between the two ministries," which "are working almost daily to monitor all details related to this national event, and to ensure the best administrative and technical conditions to guarantee the participation of Lebanese expatriates."
Expatriates had the opportunity to vote for the first time from their place of residence in the 2022 elections. That year, they were called to vote for the 128 seats according to their place of origin in Lebanon, but only for that one time, as was specified then.
