Lebanese Expatriates Vote in Parliamentary Elections

By Staff, Agencies

Lebanese expatriates have begun casting their votes in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, almost three years into a crippling economic crisis that has decimated the Lebanese pound, sparked unprecedented inflation, and pushed thousands of people to leave the country.

Lebanese expats living in 10 countries – including Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Syria, Iran, and Iraq – will vote on Friday, while the diaspora living in 48 other countries will vote on Sunday.

Lebanese citizens at home will vote on May 15.

A total of 244,442 Lebanese abroad have registered to cast their ballots in the election, more than double the number of expats who signed up to vote in the previous polls in 2018.

While many opposition groups are hoping to gain significant votes from the diaspora amid the economic crisis, some analysts say Lebanon’s traditional parties will likely remain dominant after the election.

Lebanon holds parliamentary elections every four years, with seats allocated for its wide array of sects under its fragile sectarian power-sharing system. The presidency is allocated to a Maronite Christian, the premiership to a Sunni Muslim, and the parliament speaker is a Shia Muslim.