Foreign ministry official Hadi Hashem announced Monday the end of the expat voting for the Lebanese parliamentary elections, with Canada and the U.S. -- home to the largest community of registered voters -- being the last two countries to close the ballots.

The turnout of Lebanese diaspora voting in 58 countries was nearly 60 percent, according to Hashem, with Syria registering the highest participation of 84 percent and Iraq the lowest.

As a law student in late 2019, Verena El Amil joined mass street protests against Lebanon's political elite. Now she wants to fight them at the ballot box.

At age 25, she is one of a growing number of independent candidates running in a May 15 parliamentary vote in the crisis-torn country.

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi on Sunday lauded “the role of the government, the concerned ministers and the employees of embassies and diplomatic missions for the proper management” of expat parliamentary polls, which got underway in the morning in dozens of countries.

“We have seen the Lebanese women and men heading to polling stations with pain, anger and hope showing on their faces,” al-Rahi added in his Sunday Mass sermon.

Supporters of Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and the Amal Movement on Sunday turned out heavily in Lebanon’s expat parliamentary elections in Germany.

Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib reassured Sunday that “polling stations in Dubai will not be closed before all Lebanese present in the consulate cast their votes,” amid scenes of long queues of voters who lined up in scorching heat.

President Michel Aoun on Sunday visited the Foreign Ministry to inspect its monitoring of the second round of expat parliamentary elections that got underway in the morning in 48 countries.

Thousands of Lebanese living in nearly 50 countries began early voting Sunday in the country's closely watched parliamentary elections, days after a similar vote was held in 10 predominantly Muslim nations.

About 195,000 Lebanese had registered to vote Sunday in 48 countries including the United States, Canada, Australia, Russia, European Union member states and several African nations.

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. 

Prime Minister Najib Miqati visited the Foreign Ministry Friday afternoon to inspect its administration of the expat voting process in the Arab countries and Iran which had kicked off in the morning.

“I was pleased with this tour in which I examined the electoral process and looked into all statistics,” Miqati said after the tour.

The monitors of the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) on Friday objected against a video call between Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea and LF delegates in KSA that was blasted through a loudspeaker, calling it a breach of electoral silence, al-Jadeed TV reported.

“May God give you strength and may you stay this energetic, because we need every minute of work by you until the end of the day,” Geagea is heard telling the delegates in the call, likely outside a polling station in Saudi Arabia.