President Michel Aoun returned the draft for running the parliament elections on the 27th of March, 2 months earlier than the original date yesterday.
The president justified his decision for a multitude of reasons, including weather conditions, expats, and younger people.
He said that early elections will give diaspora shorter notice to register for the parliament elections, which could deprive them of voting.
In addition, he tweeted that the weather conditions during March could disrupt transportation to electoral districts.
His son-in-law Gebran Bassil, the leader of the Free-Patriotic Movement (FPM), has also opposed the change in parliament elections’ date.
His reasoning was similar to the president’s, like the weather conditions, as well the elections intersecting with Christian Lent.
He added that this decision should be signed by the President, the Head of Cabinet, and the Minister of Interior Affairs, and not just voted on in the parliament.
Sources have mentioned that there aren’t any changes in the electoral law other than making the date earlier.
The upcoming parliament elections are the first elections since the Lebanese Revolution sprang in October 2019.
Since then, Lebanon has been enduring difficult circumstances, with increasing poverty rates, a fuel crisis, and the devaluation of the local currency.
While political parties are seeking to maintain and/or recuperate their ruling power in the country, little to no attention has been dedicated by them to what the Lebanese, those potential voters, really want: Changes and reforms.
The change that has materialized is mainly in the electoral law, with the new inclusion of the diaspora, allowing them to vote for the 128 parliament members instead of the 6 more to represent them.
That amendment will allow for a more accurate representation of Lebanese people in the parliament.
Related: Lebanon’s Elections, Explained.
