This is Beirut - elections

Why Did the Government Overlook the Report on District 16?

Johnny Kortbawi, 03/10 13:20 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

elections Lebanon parliament voting law District 16

Different considerations govern expatriate voting, an issue on which Speaker Nabih Berri was adamant, declaring that “Bible and Quran precede electoral law,” meaning the article in question will not be amended under any circumstances. This leaves us with two possibilities: either proceed with the law as it stands with District 16 included in ...

Parliament to Convene Monday – No Electoral Law on Agenda

This is Beirut, 24/09 17:50 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Parliament Nabih Berri Elias Bou Saab Elections Taif Agreement

Parliament is set to convene at 11 AM on Monday, September 29, with 17 legislative items on the agenda following a preparatory meeting of the Parliament Bureau on Wednesday chaired by Speaker Nabih Berri. The session will address a range of government draft laws and MPs’ proposals. These include agreements with the Arab Organization for ...

Cabinet Tasks Interior Minister to Relay Electoral Law Flaws

This is Beirut, 16/09 21:30 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

Lebanon Cabinet Elections Parliament expatriates budget

The Cabinet agreed to task Minister of Interior Ahmad al-Hajjar with relaying to Parliament the government’s concerns over ambiguities in the electoral law to allow next year’s parliamentary elections to proceed without legal challenges. The decision was taken during a Cabinet session convened on Tuesday at the Grand Serail under the ...

Syrian Parliamentary Elections Postponed in Sweida, Raqqa and Hasakah Due to ‘Security Challenges’

This is Beirut, 23/08 18:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Syria Elections Raqqa Hasakah Sweida

The Supreme Committee for the People’s Assembly (Parliament) Elections in Syria announced on Saturday the postponement of parliamentary elections in the provinces of Sweida (south), Raqqa and Hasakah (northeast) due to “security challenges.” Nawar Najma, the spokesperson for the Supreme Committee for People’s Assembly Elections, reported ...

Texas Adopts Electoral Map aimed at Preserving Trump's Congress Grip

This is Beirut, 23/08 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

United States U.S. Congress Elections Donald Trump

Texas legislators approved early Saturday a new electoral map aimed at carving out five new Republican-leaning seats in the state to help the party retain control of Congress in next year's midterm elections. President Donald Trump had pressured Republican-run Texas to create the new map to help prevent Democratic opponents from taking over the ...

Republicans and Democrats Go to 'War' Over US Election Map

This is Beirut, 06/08 10:30 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Donald Trump Washington Elections Gerrymandering Texas

Donald Trump is pulling hard on the levers of power to strengthen Republicans through redistricting in Texas and other states -- the latest offensive in escalating moves by both sides to shape the battlefield of US democracy for the midterm elections. The president's efforts have lit a fuse in multiple states, triggering a high-stakes tussle over ...

Arms and Ballots: Hezbollah’s Political Stakes

Philippe Abi Akl, 08/07 09:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Hezbollah Amal Israel Elections Diaspora

The most recent parliamentary session exposed deep divisions among Lebanon’s political forces over the electoral law – particularly on the issue of expatriate voting. The rift was so intense it raised concerns that the entire electoral process could be derailed, especially by parties whose interests have been harmed by recent local, regional ...

Lebanon’s Shia Bloc and the Emigrant Vote Dilemma

Johnny Kortbawi, 27/06 16:05 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Amal Hezbollah Diaspora Vote Elections Lebanon Shia

Lebanese emigrants have found themselves entangled in a crisis not of their making—namely, the existential crisis of the Shia community amid unfolding developments across the Middle East. Calls to amend the provision governing emigrant voting—whether by assigning them to Electoral District 16 or allowing them to vote for MPs in their home ...

Where Law Meets Anxiety

Johnny Kortbawi, 06/06 17:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Lebanon Elections Parliament

Lebanon is poised to enter a contentious and unpredictable debate ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections, with disputes already emerging over the electoral law that will govern the vote. Tensions escalated after Speaker Nabih Berri rejected expatriate voting and called for a new electoral law, describing the current legislation as a ...

Bidding War: Municipal Unions Up for Grabs

Johnny Kortbawi, 27/05 14:10 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Lebanon Elections FPM Michel Murr Metn Jezzine

When Michel Aoun returned from French exile in 2005, he arrived with sweeping slogans and the confidence of a man fully in control of his political momentum. This tone gradually diminished once he became the head of state. At the time, he championed stronger Christian representation and pushed the boundaries of the powers allotted to him under ...

Venezuela's Maduro Wins Landslide in Election Boycotted by Opposition

This is Beirut, 26/05 09:25 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Maduro Venezuela Elections

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's party on Sunday swept the board in parliamentary and regional elections that were boycotted by the opposition in protest over his disputed re-election last year. The United Socialist Party of Venezuela won 23 out of 24 state governor positions and scored 82.68 percent of the votes cast for lists of National ...

South Lebanon Municipal Elections: Final Preparations as Dozens of Councils Elected By Default

This is Beirut, 23/05 10:15 - Reading : 1 minute(s)

South Lebanon Municipal Elections Nabatiyeh

On the eve of Saturday’s municipal elections in the South Lebanon and Nabatiyeh governorates, final preparations are in full swing. From the central electoral operations room at the Ministry of Interior, Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar is closely supervising the distribution of ballot boxes to polling station heads and clerks, ahead of the official ...

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