Bou Habib hopes for 70% turnout in expat vote

Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday expressed his relief over the expat voting process that kicked off in the morning in the Arab countries and Iran as part of Lebanon’s 2022 parliamentary elections.

“My heart warmed when I saw this scene and I hope voter turnout will reach 70%,” Bou Habib said from the Foreign Ministry.

“Things are good and elections are the only means for change,” he added.

The minister added that the Ministry has tried to cut electoral expenses as much as possible and that he has received assurances from Prime Minister Najib Miqati that the funds will be secured.

He however noted that the funds might not sufficient at the end of the process.

Asked about the controversy regarding expat voter registration, Bou Habib stressed that the Ministry did not show any shortcomings in the distribution of voters on polling stations.

“We should have told them that the distribution would happen according to zip code,” the minister added.

Bou Habib later announced that voter turnout had reached 27% around 2:20pm Beirut time, adding that voters in the Gulf were expected to increasingly head to polling stations in the afternoon due to the hot weather there.