A female voter casts her ballot during the 2022 parliamentary elections. (Credit: Anwar Amro/AFP)
BEIRUT — Submission of candidacies for the May 2026 parliamentary elections began Tuesday, as the administrative and logistical preparations required for this phase are being finalized, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
Applications can be submitted until midnight on Tuesday, March 10.
In this context, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar conducted a tour of the various concerned administrations.
Hajjar visited the candidature reception office at the Directorate-General for Political Affairs and Refugees this morning, accompanied by the director-general of the office, Faten Younes, to review procedures and preparations related to the acceptance of nominations and the organization of the necessary administrative steps.
He then visited the civil registry office in Beirut, accompanied by the acting director-general for civil status, Rodina Merheb, where he reviewed procedures and stressed the need to "simplify procedures for citizens and speed up the processing of their files."
The minister confirmed that "no candidacy has been submitted yet, but the ministry is ready and determined to hold the elections as planned."
Consultations on expatriate voting
Regarding the dispute over expatriate voting, Hajjar said he will consult the Department of Legislation and Consultation, an office affiliated with the Justice Ministry, in order to obtain its opinion on the matter.
According to information from MTV, this initiative could lead to a legal opinion supporting diaspora voting for all 128 parliamentary seats.
The issue of expatriate voting continues to divide Parliament and concerns about a postponement of the elections have surfaced in recent weeks. Led by the Lebanese Forces, parties supporting an amendment to the electoral law argue that expatriates should be able to vote for all 128 MPs, as in the previous two elections, and not for six additional seats reserved for the diaspora, as provided by the 2017 electoral law. The latter option is favored by the Amal andHezbollah alliance, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.
Despite lingering uncertainty over the diaspora vote and the election’s outcome, the date for the parliamentary elections has been set for May 10, 2026, for Lebanese residents, while Lebanese expatriates will vote one week earlier — May 1 for those residing in certain Arab countries and May 3 for the rest of the diaspora. Civil servants working during the elections are scheduled to vote on May 5.
"If the elections or their decrees are contested, we will have to, as the executive authority, comply with the court's decision, but we are working to avoid such disputes," Hajjar also said.
"No foreign party has intervened either to prevent the holding of the elections on the scheduled date or to postpone them," he added.
The minister also announced "the imminent launch of the Interior Ministry’s 2025-2028 strategic plan, a first in the ministry's history."
Hotline for voters and candidates
In the evening, the Interior Ministry also announced in a statement that it is making a hotline available to both voters and candidates, reachable at 1766 from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It said that those concerned can also access the website https://elections.gov.lb for any explanations related to the elections, to file complaints in case of difficulties, or to obtain information about circulars issued by the ministry.
The ministry called on anyone in need of “any clarification or follow-up” to use the provided phone number and website in order to ensure effective communication and facilitate procedures.
