A protester demanding that voters in Lebanese diaspora be allowed to vote for all 128 members of Parliament, and not just the six seats reserved for expats, in Beirut on July 31, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassin/L'Orient Today)
"Voting in Lebanon is pointless," says Sarah. The 30-something has been living in France since 2011 and she is one of the many Lebanese expats who did not register to vote in the 2026 legislative elections before the window to do so closed on Thursday.The political battle to amend the current electoral law — so that voters in the diaspora would cast their ballots in their ancestral hometown riding, rather than for the six seats currently reserved for the Lebanese abroad — has dampened the desire of some to make their voices heard.Compared to the 240,000 who registered to vote in the 2022 elections, this time, only 152,000 registrations have been recorded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to government estimates, around 15 million people of Lebanese origin live abroad. Meanwhile, in Parliament... Diaspora vote:...
"Voting in Lebanon is pointless," says Sarah. The 30-something has been living in France since 2011 and she is one of the many Lebanese expats who did not register to vote in the 2026 legislative elections before the window to do so closed on Thursday.The political battle to amend the current electoral law — so that voters in the diaspora would cast their ballots in their ancestral hometown riding, rather than for the six seats currently reserved for the Lebanese abroad — has dampened the desire of some to make their voices heard.Compared to the 240,000 who registered to vote in the 2022 elections, this time, only 152,000 registrations have been recorded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to government estimates, around 15 million people of Lebanese origin live abroad. Meanwhile, in Parliament... Diaspora...
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