From six seats to full power: New law could reverse limit on expat voting in Lebanon's 2026 elections

Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

A group of Lebanese MPs from various political blocs introduced a draft law to amend the country's electoral legislation to preserve the full voting rights of Lebanese expatriates in the 2026 parliamentary elections. 

The proposal aims to allow expats to vote for candidates in their home electoral districts in Lebanon, rather than restrict them to electing only six MPs representing the diaspora across six continents, as Law 44/2017 outlines.

The proposed amendment, submitted by a group of independent and Change MPs alongside lawmakers from the Lebanese Forces, Progressive Socialist Party (PSP), and the Tashnag party, seeks to modify some articles related to non-resident voting and eliminate others. 

A total of 54 MPs have publicly declared their support for the initiative. 

However, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) opposes the proposal, with its leader MP Gebran Bassil advocating for the original plan that grants six exclusive seats to expatriate MPs. Hezbollah and the Amal Movement have yet to state their position on the matter.

The impact of expat voting in the 2022 elections is central to the debate. 

According to a study by Information International, the 141,575 diaspora votes cast in 2022 played a decisive role in shaping outcomes in 13 parliamentary seats across eight districts. The study suggests that several key results would have been different without the expatriate vote.

In Beirut I, the Lebanese Forces candidate Elie Charbachi would have secured the minorities seat instead of Cynthia Zarazir. In Beirut II, Zeina Mounzer would have won the Druze seat from Democratic Gathering bloc MP Faisal Al Sayegh, while Khaled Kabbani would have defeated MP Waddah Sadek for the Sunni seat. 

In Tripoli, Faisal Karami would have replaced MP Ramy Finge, whose victory was later contested, and Bader Eid would have taken the Alawite seat from Firas Salloum, also subject to appeal.

In Zgharta, MP Michel Douaihy, backed by Change MPs, would have lost to Marada's Jawad Boulos. Similarly, in Koura, Marada candidate Fadi Ghosn would have replaced MP Adib Abdel Massih. 

In Zahle, Lebanese Forces MP Bilal Houshaymi benefited from the expat vote, which otherwise would have delivered a victory to a Sunni seat, Omar Halablab from MP Michel Daher's list.

In West Bekaa-Rachaiya, MP Ghassan Skaff's win would have gone to former Deputy Speaker Elie Ferzli, backed by the Amal-Hezbollah duo. 

Change MP Yassine Yassine would have lost to Mohammad Qaraawi, and in Jezzine, Amal candidate Ibrahim Azar would have replaced MP Charbel Massaad. 
 
In the South III district, Marwan Kheireddine would have secured a seat instead of MP Firas Hamdan.

Despite being submitted as an urgent draft law, the proposed amendment was not added to Thursday's parliamentary session agenda, as the schedule was finalized the previous week and the draft was introduced on Friday.