Political debate: Lebanon's 2026 elections at risk as Parliament and Cabinet clash over electoral law

Report by Maroun Nassif, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi  

As Lebanon approaches the May 2026 parliamentary elections, political tensions are rising over proposed changes to the electoral law, particularly regarding voting rights for expatriates. 

One camp supports amendments allowing Lebanese living abroad to vote in their home districts, while opponents insist on maintaining six reserved seats in district 16, arguing that expatriates wishing to vote should return to Lebanon.

The dispute contributed to the failure to reach a quorum for Tuesday's parliamentary session, drawing attention to the upcoming Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, where the electoral law is expected to dominate discussions.

The agenda includes two competing bills: one from Foreign Minister Youssef Rajji seeks to abolish the six expatriate seats and permit overseas voting, while Interior Minister Ahmad Al-Hajjar proposes updating Article 84 of the electoral law by replacing the magnetic ID card with a QR code system. The magnetic card currently exists only in the text of the law.

Can the Cabinet reach the required two-thirds majority of 16 votes, particularly with five Shiite ministers opposed to the changes?

Sources familiar with the matter told LBCI that the likely approach for Wednesday is to avoid holding a vote. This direction reportedly emerged from a meeting between Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Prime Minister Nawaf Salam.

Sources indicate that Salam has asked Berri to ensure the five Shiite ministers remain present for the session, a matter the Prime Minister is expected to discuss with President Joseph Aoun ahead of the meeting. The five ministers from the Amal-Hezbollah duo are also expected to attend Thursday's session and are unlikely to leave.

Even if the Cabinet merges the two proposals into a single draft and sends it to Parliament, two scenarios remain possible: Berri may choose not to convene a parliamentary session on the electoral law, limiting discussions to the budget as stipulated by the constitution; or he may call a session to consider all submitted amendments collectively, while refusing to vote on the accelerated bill proposed by Lebanese Forces Party MPs until all proposals are fully discussed—a process that could take several months.