The Lebanese government approved on Tuesday the allocation of 360 billion Lebanese pounds, equivalent to $18 million, to hold the parliamentary election.
The Information Minister, Abbas Halabi, quoted Prime Minister Najib Mikati saying that the elections in 2018 had cost the state $54 million.
The elections in May 2022 will be the first democratic poll since the nationwide uprising, known as the Lebanese Revolution, that kicked off in October 2019 against the political regime and the corruption leading to massive inflation and socio-economic crisis.
International organizations and Western governments have urged the Lebanese authorities to hold the elections on time and to assure that the process will be democratic and free of corruption.
Western Governments have also emphasized the fact that no financial aid will be given to Lebanon unless new faces appear on the Lebanese political front.
The Lebanese people have been demanding change since October 2019, leading to the current decrease in the popularity of many traditional Lebanese political leaders. The most recent statistics show that the majority will vote for new and independent candidates.
During a meeting with the Interior Minister Bassam Mawali on Tuesday, UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, stressed the importance of holding the elections on time and emphasized the role of public awareness campaigns to educate voters to vote for the ‘right’ candidates.
