Expat and resident parliamentary elections set for May 1, 3, 7 and 10

A decree setting the dates of the upcoming parliamentary elections was issued Friday in Lebanon’s official gazette, signed by President Joseph Aoun, PM Nawaf Salam and Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar.

The decree says expats would vote abroad on May 1 and May 3, election workers would vote in Lebanon on May 7 and resident voters would vote on May 10.

In remarks to MTV, Hajjar confirmed that "the election process has begun with the publication of the decree calling for elections in the Official Gazette."

He added: "I, along with the President and the Prime Minister, decided to set May 10 instead of May 3 as the election date to avoid any legal challenges."

He further stated: "The funds are available for holding the elections, and issuing the executive decrees is not within my authority, nor that of the Foreign Minister; it falls under the purview of the government."

Despite the official announcement, there is ongoing debate that could affect whether the elections happen exactly as planned.

There is a major disagreement in parliament over how the diaspora should vote. The current law allocates six specific seats for expats, but many parties -- led by the Lebanese Forces -- are pushing to allow expats to vote for all 128 seats as they did in 2022.

Some MPs have already expressed skepticism about meeting the May deadline, citing the need for electoral reforms or security concerns.

Some officials have said that a “technical” delay is possible to allow expats to vote in Lebanon during their summer vacation.