Expat vote ballots start arriving in Lebanon
On Saturday morning, two boxes carrying expat votes arrived at the Beirut airport from Tehran, escorted by Lebanon's envoy to the Islamic Republic, the official National News Agency reported.
All other ballots will be delivered to Lebanon by logistics giant DHL, with the exception of those from neighboring Syria which will be handed over across the border, Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said.
Lebanese expatriates had cast their votes for parliamentary elections in nine Arab countries and in Iran on Friday, with Syria and Tehran seeing the highest turnout rates, according to Bou Habib.
Bou Habib said nearly 60 percent of the 30,930 voters registered overseas had cast a ballot, a jump from 56 percent in 2018.
The foreign minister had expressed hope for 70 percent participation earlier Friday but the final count announced after ballots closed was estimated at 18,225 votes.
About 31,000 Lebanese citizens in 10 countries have registered to vote in Friday's first phase. On Sunday, nearly 195,000 Lebanese citizens are scheduled to vote in 48 other countries around the world including the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, European Union members states, as well as several African nations.
Source: Agence France Presse
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