Plumbly Meets Miqati, Hopes Elections Will Be Held According to Constitutional Requirements

United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon Derek Plumbly hoped on Tuesday that the parliamentary elections will he be held on time in June.

He said after holding talks with Prime Minister Najib Miqati: “The holding of free and fair elections on time in accordance with the constitutional requirements is important for democracy and stability in Lebanon.”

“The United Nations is helping with technical preparations for the elections, as we have in past years,” he added.

“It is important that technical preparations continue to move forward without delay, to ensure that the elections are held in a timely fashion whatever the electoral law agreed,” he continued.

He hoped that the parliamentary subcommittee aimed at discussing a new electoral law would be successful in its mission.

The subcommittee had been meeting since January in an effort to reach an agreement over a new law, but officials have yet to reach an agreement amid warnings that any further delay could lead to the postponement of the elections.

Miqati and Plumbly also discussed the latest developments in Lebanon and the region, including the issue of Syrian refugees and their conditions and the follow up to the international donor meeting in Kuwait.

They addressed security issues and the implementation of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701.