A voter casts her ballot during the 2022 parliamentary elections. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — Nineteen Lebanese diaspora groups sent a letter on Friday to President Joseph Aoun, urging an amendment to the electoral law concerning voting rights for Lebanese living abroad. This comes as the parliamentary elections are officially set for May 10 for residents in Lebanon, and one week earlier for expatriates — of whom 152,000 are registered on the electoral rolls.
In their letter, the signatories call for abolishing the six seats reserved for expatriates, describing them as “a hybrid formula limiting the right to equal representation and creating an isolated district.” They also request that this issue be quickly put on Parliament’s agenda and expect the head of state to “address a message to Parliament supporting the right of non-resident Lebanese to a fair and complete vote, on equal footing with residents.”
The groups recall that a parliamentary bill and a government draft law have existed since May 2025 to repeal this rule and ensure fair representation. “Despite this, the issue has not been put on the agenda of the General Assembly, even as the elections approach and registration for voters abroad and the publication of electoral rolls are already underway,” they protest, calling on Aoun to intervene.
Among the signatories are Kulluna Irada, Meghterbine Moujtamaain, Sawti, the Lebanese Diaspora Movement, and the Lebanese Collective of France. The groups stress that the president’s support is essential to strengthen the confidence of Lebanese abroad in national institutions and to ensure a fair vote.
This demand comes amid tensions within Parliament. Led by the Lebanese Forces (LF), parties advocating for an amendment to the electoral law are pushing for expatriates to be able to vote for all 128 MPs, as was the case in the previous two elections, and not just for six additional seats reserved for the diaspora, as stipulated in the 2017 electoral law.
Firm in his intention to hold the parliamentary elections next May under the existing law, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Friday that he had “given up” on the idea of a technical postponement and sought to distance himself from any intention of extending the MPs’ mandate. “The parliamentary elections will be held on the scheduled date, next May, and in accordance with the electoral law,” he stated, adding, “I will not convene any session to change the current legislation.”
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