On Tuesday, Lebanon’s parliament has voted to schedule a parliamentary election on March 27 next year. The vote came as members of parliament distinctly decided against adding six additional seats to represent the Lebanese diaspora, as well as having a quota for women among the 128 elected representatives.
The election was originally set to take place in May. However, Prime Minister Najib Mikati said in late September that officials were considering holding the polls earlier to avoid campaigning during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan.
On Tuesday, PM Mikati stated: “God willing, the elections will be transparent and sound,” after the session in Lebanon’s makeshift parliament at the UNESCO Palace in the capital, Beirut.
MP Gebran Bassil, who heads the largest Christian bloc in parliament and is the son-in-law of President Michel Aoun, opposed the motion. He said that the Meteorological Department has predicted stormy weather which could disrupt voting and that the date coincides with Lent, during which Christians fast.
