Gemayel says shiite diaspora vote seen as threat to political monopoly

MTV Lebanon

01-07-2025

Kataeb Party leader Samy Gemayel warned that efforts to block full voting rights for Lebanese expatriates are part of a broader political scheme aimed at suppressing dissenting voices within the Shiite community and preserving outdated power structures.
Following a meeting with MP Mark Daou at the Kataeb Party's headquarters in Saifi, Gemayel issued sharp criticism of the latest legislative session, from which opposition lawmakers withdrew after Speaker Nabih Berri declined to add a proposed draft law on diaspora voting to the agenda.
'Our goal was never to disrupt the session,' Gemayel said. 'There were important items up for discussion, and we wanted to attend, debate, and vote on what matters. But the way the expatriate voting issue was being manipulated left us no choice but to walk out.'
Gemayel said the campaign to restrict non-resident Lebanese from voting for all 128 parliamentary seats is being driven by fear of one specific group: Shiite expatriates.
'It is becoming increasingly clear that this fear stems from the belief that Shiite voters abroad would support the Lebanese state and the project of state-building,' he said. 'The attempt to cancel their vote is not about ensuring equality between Lebanese citizens, as some claim; it is about eliminating the impact of a Shiite voice abroad that could break the current monopoly and bring diversity into the Shiite community, just as we see in other sects.'
Gemayel accused opponents of using misleading rhetoric to mask their intentions.
'All the slogans raised by the other side are smokescreens to hide the truth. This only makes us more determined to ensure that expatriates can vote for the full parliamentary seats, across all districts,' he said. 'Their votes are key to liberating and rebuilding this country, and ushering in a new era of peace, openness, prosperity, reform, and modernization.'
Echoing Gemayel's concerns, MP Mark Daou said his visit to the Kataeb headquarters was part of ongoing coordination with political allies on the growing crisis in Parliament and the battle for diaspora voting rights.
'I came to discuss the developments in Parliament, especially the right of over 1.5 million Lebanese expatriates to vote,' Daou said. 'More than half the chamber is committed to this right and has signed a petition that will be formally submitted to the Speaker and the Bureau of Parliament.'
Daou blamed the recent legislative deadlocks on what he called a 'sweeping commitment among MPs to ensure that the diaspora is treated fairly and allowed to vote based on their home districts for all 128 lawmakers, just like residents.'
'We coordinated on how to escalate pressure, activate Parliament's internal rules, and push to place the urgent diaspora voting bill on the legislative agenda,' Daou said. 'We want it to be put to a vote and passed, as demanded by a clear majority of the Lebanese people.'
Daou described the push for diaspora voting as a "decisive battle" that could reshape Lebanon's political future.
'This fight will define political participation for all Lebanese. It will also determine the real balance of power on which we can begin building a new post-conflict Lebanon—one that reopens to the world, protects its sovereignty, and gives citizens the hope of meaningful change,' he said.
'This opportunity cannot be wasted due to the obstruction of parties that remain trapped in the past,' he warned.
Daou stressed that the battle is not limited to the electoral law.
'The issues of exclusive state control over weapons, full political participation, and judicial independence are core to the Lebanon we want to build,' he said. 'These are essential fights for entering a new phase in Lebanon's future.'