Lebanese diaspora: Only a few hours left to secure your vote in the 2026 parliamentary elections

BEIRUT — The countdown has begun: the Lebanese diaspora have only a few hours left to register on the electoral lists ahead of the May 2026 legislative elections.

Although the voting procedures remain unclear, your participation could play an important role in shaping the political landscape. Every vote counts — including yours — so don’t miss the chance to register for this crucial event.

And if you are worried about not being able to vote in Lebanon should overseas voting be canceled due to political disputes, rest assured: Foreign Minister Joe Rajji confirmed on Friday, Nov. 14 that Lebanese citizens registered in their country of residence will not lose their right to vote in their home locality in Lebanon if the overseas vote is canceled.

L’Orient Today reminds you of the online registration process established by the Foreign Affairs Ministry, which has so far recorded 55,548 registrations across various continents.

France currently leads in the number of registered voters, followed by Germany, Canada, the United States, Australia, the United Arab Emirates, Ivory Coast, and Saudi Arabia.

When?

The registration period began on Thursday, Oct. 2 and will close on Nov. 20 at midnight, Beirut time, for all Lebanese “born before March 30, 2005” and who will therefore be over 21 at the time of the elections.

Where to register?

Registration can be done either online or at a consulate.

In France, for example, formalities can be carried out either at the Lebanese Embassy in Paris, which provides consular services, or at the Consulate General of Lebanon in Marseille, depending on the expatriate’s place of residence.

In the case of the United States, expatriates must also contact the consulate covering their state. For example, for Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, and Vermont, expatriates depend on the Lebanese consulate in New York and must go there if not registering online.

For Lebanese residents in Quebec, they are asked to go to the Consulate General of Lebanon in Montreal, again if they do not wish to register online.

For online registrations, the ministry invites voters to go to the following address: https://diasporavote.mfa.gov.lb.

How to register?

The online registration process consists of several steps:

- The voter must first create an account by entering their first and last name, phone number, and email address. The page also has an anti-robot test. The individual account must then be authenticated via a double validation through a link sent to the email address.

- The voter will then need to complete the account information by indicating their city, region, and country of residence as well as the diplomatic mission to which they are assigned.

- This is followed by an online process to confirm that the voter’s name, which must be entered in Arabic, is indeed on the electoral list of the relevant district in Lebanon.

- The voter must provide scanned copies of their Lebanese identification documents (passport, civil registry extract [ekhraj eid], or ID card, front and back), as well as documents related to their residence in the host country (residence permit or any other document proving residency).

For registration at a consulate, the voter must present a valid Lebanese document and proof of residence in the host country. It is recommended to contact the consulate before going, especially to see if any additional specific documents are required.

Details to be announced later

"The date of elections for Lebanese abroad, as well as the exact modalities of the vote, will be announced at a later date," said the ministry.

The election has been the subject of heated debates in recent weeks, with MPs divided between those who wish to amend the 2017 electoral law to guarantee the diaspora the right to vote for all 128 metropolitan MPs according to their district, and those opposed, preferring to uphold Article 112 of the law, which provides for the creation of a specific overseas constituency limited to six seats.

Will Lebanese in the diaspora vote, as in the 2022 parliamentary elections, on par with those in the country, or only for the six seats designated for them? The question is so sensitive it could delay the vote.