Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry launches preparations for overseas parliamentary elections

Lebanon’s Foreign Ministry issued a circular on Wednesday to all Lebanese diplomatic and consular missions abroad, outlining preparations for holding parliamentary elections for Lebanese citizens residing outside the country.

The circular states that the registration process for non-resident Lebanese voters was completed smoothly and successfully, without any major issues, thanks to the efforts of diplomatic missions and their staff. It highlights in particular the final days of registration, which saw a surge of thousands of applications.

According to the circular, all registration lists have been sent sequentially to Lebanon’s Interior Ministry in line with established procedures. The ministry is tasked with reviewing and refining the lists and is expected to provide the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the preliminary approved electoral rolls by February 1, 2026. 

These lists will then be circulated, published, and shared with all registered voters abroad, allowing them to review the information and correct any potential errors within the legal timeframes.

The circular instructs each mission with more than 200 registered voters to begin early preparations to implement the law in their host country. This includes identifying the necessary procedures to organize the electoral process and preparing a comprehensive estimated budget covering the number and geographic distribution of polling centers and stations, logistical and technical requirements, and human resources needs, including whether additional staff will be required.

It also clarifies that the Ministry of Interior will provide the core electoral materials, such as ballot boxes, voter lists, stationery, envelopes, and ink, which should therefore be excluded from the estimated budget.

The circular concludes by stressing the need to submit all required information to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs within two weeks, in order to meet constitutional deadlines and enable the ministry to complete preparations once the decree calling the electoral bodies is issued, setting the date for overseas voting.