Report: Most Lebanese Expatriates Not Willing to Participate in 2013 Polls
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
The Foreign Ministry prepared a report concerning the numbers of Lebanese expatriates expected to vote during the 2013 parliamentary elections, An Nahar newspaper reported on Monday.
The foreign Ministry based its information on reports prepared by more than 70 Lebanese missions around the world on the number of expatriates expected to vote.
According to An Nahar, Lebanon’s political parties are eying the Lebanese in foreign countries in order to mobilize supporters to get a boost in the upcoming elections.
Lebanese officials are exerting efforts in order to formulate an electoral draft law that ensures a sound parliamentary representation of sects.
However, there’s no agreement yet over the issue, as the Maronite leaders agreed on the Orthodox Gathering’s proposals which called for each sect to elect its own MPs based on the proportional representation.
The proposal was rejected by a number of officials including Interior Minister Marwan Charbel who is tasked with preparing the new electoral draft law.
An Nahar said that the foreign ministry’s report includes some “critical” facts as the numbers of Lebanese expatriates willing to elect during the 2013 elections is almost 0 percent, knowing that the deadline for registration is by the end of 2012.
According to the daily, most expatriates in the Arab world might seem unwilling to register in Lebanese missions to vote there as they prefer to return to Lebanon to practice their electoral rights because of the close distance between the countries.
However, those who are in Europe and the U.S. seem reluctant to participate in electing the Lebanese parliament by not registering their names in the missions to be able to vote, they might also find it difficult to return to Lebanon to elect.
23 January 2012, 10:47
05
how did they come up with their statistics ?
0% want to participate? what a joke?
23 January 2012, 11:16
05
Are u kidding me ? I bet you 99% of expats don't even know that we can vote !!!!! They should send us letters or do something to let us know
23 January 2012, 12:09
05
This is a communist regime style to isolate the nation from its own people, the foreign ministry is in the hands of Aoun and Hezboshaitan, so that is clear strategy as they fear the real power of change going to hit them.
Statistic of corruption and the lack to provide the Lebanese people with electricity is similar to their lack in reform.
23 January 2012, 12:45
11
We are usually offered tickets to go and vote in Lebanon. So when was this law passed?
23 January 2012, 13:53
02
how come results in Lebanon (and the whole region) are always 0% or 100%. I am a Lebanese expat and I would vote
23 January 2012, 14:07
03
so this is like when they used to vote for presidents at 99%
so 0% want to vote? no one asked me or my friends in England! i am sure all of us would want to vote without having to pay thousands of dollars in tickets and take days off!
23 January 2012, 15:08
03
Sounds to me someone concocted such an imaginary report to come up with excuse to draft a law that would not allow expatriate to vote.
Expats have been fighting for years to get that right only to see such report claiming that they don't care...what a ridiculous claim
23 January 2012, 15:21
04
That is absolutely not true!! Lebanese missions abroad are staffed by lazy and incompetent diplomats who do not do their work at all. Most missions are out of touch with the lebanese living in the countries they are accredited to. I have lived abroad in 3 different countries, have registered at the lebanese embassy at all 3. I never got an e mail, a letter, or even a phone call for what ever reason. Not even a happy new year e mail. I carry the nationality of another country (a small country, not a super power). The embassy of that country often sends e mails, periodicals, seasons' greetings etc.. I have never been asked by any official at any lebanese embassy whether i would like to vote abroad or not. NOR ANYONE I KNOW, and I know many Lebanese registered at embassies abroad.
23 January 2012, 15:22
02
Who did they ask for that report? What Expats...we are all registered with the embassy and we did not get anything regarding that...
Well as usual, someone at the ministry made up all the numbers to make them look the way they wanted them to be...good job
23 January 2012, 15:24
03
As long as the Shiite parties are controlling the foreign Ministry nothing will happen, they do not want expats to vote under any circumstance and they have been deliberately doing everything in their power to block, delay all efforts to implement that vote. They keep inventing all kinds of excuses. That's not only my opinion, look
December 17, 2010 "Change and Reform bloc MP Nematallah Abi Nasr said on Friday that Lebanese nationals residing abroad will not be able to vote from their countries of residence as long as Foreign Affairs Minister Ali Shami and Director General of Emigrants Haitham Jamaa remain in their posts. Abi Nasr told the Voice of Lebanon (VOL) – 100.5 radio station that Shami and Jamaa – who are Shia – are against safeguarding the interests of the emigrants “and only care about emigration in Africa,” a reference to the Shia faith of most Lebanese residing in Africa."
23 January 2012, 15:27
02
The guy who prepared this report should be fired!!!! 0%...this is the joke of the year...They really think that people are stupid!!!! Any statistic has a margin of error ... so 0% is a NO WAY in a survey. This proves that we have morons at the Foreign Ministry ... too sad
23 January 2012, 16:28
03
This is ridiculous! We all know that regardless of where a Lebanese expat lives, they would do anything to participate in a Lebanese election. Point and Case 2009 elections!! Why not simplify the process for us? In Ottawa Canada there was a small campaign that went around polling the Lebanese community regarding their interest in voting at the 2013 election. I signed myself up!
I encourage all Lebanese expats to visit their embassy's website. They should have a registration form. This is the one for Canada: http://lebanonembassy.ca/doc/Election-EN.pdf
Yalla everyone prove them wrong! We CARE!! NO MORE HIZBO DOMINANCE!!
23 January 2012, 16:43
04
This is all Hezz propaganda. They are trying to steal the elections.
23 January 2012, 17:25
01
Most Lebanese the ones living in Lebanon constantly show very little interest in voting in their local and municipal elections.You know what, what the hell let's scrap those too. Our supreme leader, Hassin from the Underground, can start appointing worthy saintly ones full of dignity.
23 January 2012, 17:51
30
Why would we vote and for whom? The reason why we're expats is because we don't want to live in lebanon nor do we believe in its leadership. The only way I would go vote is if they give a number of MPs to expats. Such MPs are the only ones who will truthfully defend my interests. I'm not holding my breath though,they haven't decided yet on us simply voting from our new countries, so no, I will not waste a day for M8 and M14.
23 January 2012, 18:21
03
Very enlightened of you sikoflebanon, but at least respect the rights of the Lebanese living abroad who would like to at least have the choice to vote or, like you, not vote.
23 January 2012, 19:40
02
My fellow Lebanese citizens, call your embassy now!! Scream and shout, and make your voice heard! They are trying to keep us in the dark!
23 January 2012, 20:13
01
What a lie! Most of the Expatriates are anxiously awaiting change to the law so that they could exercise their right. Somebody is destorting the truth with this report
24 January 2012, 09:21
01
I Live in UAE! no one asked me my Opinion! r we becoming like our neighbour's regime? our embassadors just post votes on our behalf? knowing the Lebanese embassador here i am sure it is not the case, maybe 0 percent bil tazkiyeh! or maybe it is the IQ level of our politicians!
24 January 2012, 17:33
00
They left Lebanon and should not be allowed to vote. If they want to vote let them move back
24 January 2012, 18:18
00
Guys , to all people who commented on this story, this report is of course false, i mean 0 %? on almost 10 million lebanese? i know many people in the US and Canada that registered their names in Lebanese embassies just in order to vote for 2013 if the new law allows expats to vote. It is not new from this foreign mockery ministery, that has already said in the past that the expats should not be allowed to vote. This would bring back an equal balance for the christians and muslims. as well as moderate new views and people voting for maybe better politicians. They want to keep the christians, druze , chiite and sunnite out of it, because they know expats have a more global view, and a christian wont necessarily vote FPM, LF or kataeb. as well as a Sunni for mustaqbal and a chiite for Hezb. If we dont hear any comments from March 14th or March 8th on that issue which is biaised of course, then we can be sure they are all in this together sadly....
