BEIRUT — The
turnout of
Lebanese diaspora voting in 58 countries ahead of May 15
parliamentary elections was nearly 60 percent, officials said Monday, similar
figures to the last polls in 2018.
اضافة اعلان
Some 130,000 Lebanese expatriates out of
225,000 registered voters cast their ballots, foreign ministry official Hadi
Hashem said, releasing preliminary figures.
While the number of overseas voters has more
than doubled this year, they represent only a fraction of the millions of
Lebanese residing abroad.
In 2018, roughly 50,000 people out of 90,000
registered voters abroad voted, a turnout of 56 percent.
The overseas ballots will now be sent to the
capital
Beirut for counting when polls close after nationwide voting on May 15.
The elections are the first since mass
protests erupted in late 2019 against the country’s entrenched ruling elite,
widely blamed for the economic collapse.
Although many Lebanese hope they can vote
traditional parties out, experts have said this is unlikely as opposition
candidates lack unity, funds, and experience.
The economic crisis has pushed middle-class
Lebanese, including families, graduates, doctors, and nurses to emigrate in
search of a better future.
While opposition groups hope the diaspora will vote for
change, only six percent of overseas voters picked independents in 2018, according
to a recent report by the Paris-based
Arab Reform Initiative.
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