Lebanese Forces to MTV: Expat Voting Law Must Be Included or We Withdraw
The upcoming legislative session scheduled before noon today takes precedence over all other Lebanese issues, especially given the explosive file it carries: the roposal to quickly reintroduce a law that allows Lebanese expatriates to vote for all 128 parliamentary seats in the upcoming elections has not been added to the session agenda by Speaker Nabih Berri.
Since yesterday, the Lebanese Forces have announced that starting today, the approach will be more confrontational to prevent expatriates from being excluded from the national entitlement and the "insistence on politically displacing them." In this context, Ziad Hawat, a member of the Strong Republic bloc, confirmed that 65 MPs have signed a petition to include this item on today's session agenda, stressing that if Berri practices selectivity and refuses to include it, they will withdraw from the session.
Hawat pointed out in an interview with MTV's website that "expatriates form a crucial backbone of the Lebanese economy, especially during times of crisis. Their transfers in 2023 accounted for about 30.7% of the GDP. So how can they be deprived of participating in building the new Lebanon and its political map by choosing a new political class?"
He also stressed that these expatriates, on whom the Lebanese economy depends annually to keep moving by sending nearly 7 billion dollars, have the right to vote, hold politicians accountable, and play an active role in Lebanese political life after having been displaced multiple times due to poor political management and some being tied to destructive alliances. Therefore, Berri bears a national responsibility as does the Council's Bureau.
Hawat added: "We will lead this battle till the end, as excluding them from the electoral process takes us back to times of oppression. It is necessary to act quickly today to pass the law so that the Ministry of Interior can start preparations to involve them in the electoral process and collect the necessary data, which requires months of work, instead of leaving it till the last minute as usual."
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