Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib on Friday expressed his relief over the expat voting process that kicked off in the morning in the Arab countries and Iran as part of Lebanon’s 2022 parliamentary elections.

“My heart warmed when I saw this scene and I hope voter turnout will reach 70%,” Bou Habib said from the Foreign Ministry.

Last week, the British Embassy in Beirut hosted a climate action workshop for 16 youth innovators in collaboration with the idea innovator company, Ideanco. The UK’s COP26 MENA Ambassador Janet Rogan attended virtually from London and the British Embassy’s Chargé d’Affaires, Alyson King, gave closing remarks, the British Embassy said on Friday.

"Tackling climate change is a priority for the UK government, which hosted the COP26 conference in Glasgow last year. COP26 brought countries together to enable all countries to meet global net zero targets and reduce the impacts of climate change, resulting in the Glasgow Climate Pact. To achieve this countries must unlock public and private investment and push for innovative and green solutions," the British Embassy added.

Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said Friday that the expats parliamentary elections are going smoothly and no problems nor major violations have been detected so far.

According to Mawlawi, the turnout abroad will be heavy this year as the numbers of those who have registered their names to vote have surpassed the numbers of those who registered in the 2018 elections.

Lebanese expatriates began casting their votes on Friday for parliamentary elections, more than two years into an unprecedented economic crisis has that spurred a mass exodus.

While opposition figures have pinned their hopes on the diaspora, experts said the elections were expected to uphold the status quo, despite years of economic meltdown.

Saudi newspaper Okaz slammed Thursday former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, criticizing his "Iranian-like beard" and accusing him of "political Shiitization."

"By urging the Sunnis to boycott the parliamentary elections, Saad has done a great favor to the killers of his father. He left the elections arena to terrorist Hizbullah and to the Free Patriotic Movement at the expense of his country and his sect," Okaz said.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Thursday warned against “sedition stirrers,” during a meeting in Msayleh with a delegation from the al-Kraydin Arab tribes.

“Love of homeland is part of religious faith and sedition stirrers under any circumstances, be it in elections time or not, are suspicious in their national and even religious belonging,” Berri said.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati and Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib launched Thursday at the Foreign Ministry an operations room for overseeing the expat voting that will start on May 6.

Miqati urged all expats to vote in the parliamentary elections that will be held "with all integrity and transparency" even though "there had been doubts about carrying out the elections."

Lebanon entered at midnight the first electoral silence period for expat parliamentary polls, which will be held Friday in the Gulf countries and Iran.

During the silence period, candidates are forbidden from campaigning through media outlets. The period ends after the closure of ballot boxes on Friday evening.

Prime Minister Najib Miqati has criticized "unprecedented dollar amounts" that have been pumped into Lebanon in the past few days, as Lebanon prepares for its parliamentary elections in May 15.

"There are violations," Miqati said in a televised interview, as he praised Minister of Interior Bassam al-Mawlawi for "doing a great job" to achieve the elections successfully.

The U.N. chief called for Lebanon's parliamentary elections on May 15 to be "free, fair transparent and inclusive" in a report circulated Wednesday and urged the quick formation of a government afterward that gives priority to implementing reforms addressing the country's multiple crises.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said in the report to the U.N. Security Council that political polarization in the country has deepened and the Lebanese people "are struggling daily to meet basic essential needs." He pointed to frequent protests across the country sparked by "public frustration with the political situation and the economic and financial crisis."