On 20 November, the deadline for expats to register to vote in the upcoming Lebanese elections will pass. Around 400,000-500,000 Lebanese people have escaped the severe crises in the country over the past two years. What role will the diaspora play in the elections? And what particular challenges and issues do expats face?
On 19 October 2021, days after deadly clashes in the streets of Beirut, Lebanon’s parliament voted to bring forward elections planned for May 2022 to 27 March . The decision came at a time when the investigation into the Beirut Port explosion, led by judge Tarek Bitar, had come under attack from the political establishment, most notably Hezbollah, the country’s strongest political group and key guardian of the status quo.
It’s important to note that the ongoing discussion over the parliamentary elections has unfolded simultaneously with the recent diplomatic scuffles between Lebanon and several Gulf states – especially Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Kuwait – following criticism of the Saudi-led intervention in Yemen by George Kordahi, Lebanon’s information minister. The recent diplomatic row threatens the livelihoods of tens of thousands of Lebanese who work in the Gulf states.
