Lebanon's diaspora voting law dispute shuts down Parliament

More than half of MPs boycott session over Speaker Nabih Berri's actions

A dispute over the voting rights of the Lebanese diaspora has escalated after Parliament was unable to convene on Tuesday, when more than half of the MPs boycotted the plenary session.

A coalition of blocs, led by the Lebanese Parliament's largest party, the Lebanese Forces, did not attend the legislature in protest at Speaker Nabih Berri's previous refusal to add a fast-track draft amendment to the legislature's agenda. His opponents accuse the powerful, long-serving speaker of effectively holding Parliament hostage for his own benefit.

Only 61 of 128 MPs were present – less than the 64 needed to convene – meaning Parliament was unable to scrutinise a number of bills, including economic reforms demanded by the international community.

“This chaotic management of the sessions and the dominance of Speaker Berri in interpreting the constitution should be stopped,” said one boycotting MP.

“Resuming legislation should be only through the gates of respecting the laws and the constitution, not through the will of Speaker Berri.”

Deputy speaker Elias Bou Saab said resolving the matter would require "legislation, not a boycott of legislative work", as he called for dialogue within the parliament.

Under the current voting law, which dates back to 2017 but was never implemented in the 2018 or 2022 elections, Lebanese living abroad will only be allowed to cast votes for a newly created bloc of six MPs in next year's polls − as opposed to all 128 seats, as was previously the case.

Detractors say it treats the diaspora as second-class citizens and violates the policy of equality enshrined in Article 7 of the Lebanese constitution, which says that Lebanese enjoy “civil and political rights equally”.

Among the supporters of the law is Hezbollah, an ally of Mr Berri's Amal Movement.

Various factions have taken their case to President Joseph Aoun and the government, which has strongly hinted it could intervene.

“Nabih Berri ensures the proper functioning of Parliament. And we will see tomorrow who will paralyse it,” the Speaker's right-hand man, Ali Hassan Khalil, said on Monday, after taking a delegation of Hezbollah and Amal MPs to see Mr Aoun.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Mr Berri of treating Parliament “as his private property, opening and closing its doors at will, deciding what is to be discussed and what is to be buried in drawers”.

Hezbollah has been placed under sanctions by many countries that are home to large parts of the Lebanese diaspora – including in North America, Europe and the Gulf. Hezbollah spokesman Youssef Zein previously told The National that this means the group is unable to campaign as effectively abroad as its opponents.

Pressure is also building on the government to intervene. The cabinet could draft a bill to be sent to the legislature that Parliament would be obliged to discuss.

For the first time, the diaspora law dispute has been added to the cabinet agenda; it is article one of Wednesday's meeting, which one source said showed its growing importance to the government and the urgency in resolving the issue.

Time is of the essence, with registration for diaspora voters already under way.

Even if the current law were to be followed, there is confusion in its text over how the six seats in the diaspora bloc would be distributed. The government said last week that any discrepancies in the law should be remedied urgently.