Lebanon’s 2026 elections: Candidates face steep rise in registration fees

 Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Mariella Succar 

Lebanon’s current electoral law has been criticized for its inequities, not only in the size of electoral districts—ranging from five seats in Saida-Jezzine to 13 in Chouf-Aley—but also for the significant disparities in spending limits for candidates across districts.

For reference, in the 2018 parliamentary elections, each candidate was allowed a spending limit of 150 million LBP, plus an additional 150 million for those running on a list, and an extra 5,000 LBP per registered voter in larger districts.

According to Mohamed Chamseddine, a researcher at the International Information Institute, the spending limits applied in the 2022 elections are expected to remain in effect for 2026 unless the parliament approves changes.

However, while the spending limit remains the same as in 2022, the candidacy fee for the upcoming 2026 elections has been adjusted under the 2024 budget. The fee, which was 30 million LBP in 2022, has been raised to 200 million LBP for 2026.

It is important to note that the candidacy fee is paid to the state treasury and is nonrefundable, regardless of the number of votes a candidate receives.