Lebanon Election 2022: Mega Voting Centres Proposal Delayed Again

As candidates gear up for the Lebanese parliamentary elections this May, an important step to reform the electoral process, which was supposed to be brought in light years ago, has yet again been delayed.

According to the ‘new’ electoral law that was passed in 2017, which included proportional representation as a voting system and saw Lebanon divided into 15 constituencies, Lebanese voters were supposed to have the option of voting from their places of residence rather than having to go to their hometowns in their electoral districts.

The ruling elite failed to implement that vital decision this year. Just like in 2018, their excuse was that they were running short on time, warning that logistical challenges and other necessary measures could delay the election.

Mega voting centres, as they are called, would have allowed someone living far from their constituency to cast their ballot somewhere closer to where they live, saving them time and money, especially in light of Lebanon’s economic meltdown and acute energy crisis. For example, if a person lived somewhere in Greater Beirut but was from the northern city of Tripoli, they would have been able to vote at the closest centre to them in the capital rather than make the journey up north.

These centres in total would have accommodated more than 100,000 voters nationwide. They would have increased overall voter turnout, thus resulting in a parliament that better represents Lebanese society.

Just less than half of eligible voters took part in 2018, as the silent majority abstained from the electoral process in the facing of a looming legitimacy crisis.  

Politicisation of Mega Voting Centres

Like practically everything in Lebanon these days, the issue of mega voting centres was politicised. While some parties, like the Free Patriotic Movement [FPM], were pushing for these to be adopted this year, others - such as the largest Shia party, the Amal Movement, and their allies the Progressive Socialist Party - were against them.

The disagreement and failure to allow easier voting access is based in Lebanon’s delicate sectarian situation and the country’s demographics: many Christians, for example, do not live in their towns and villages of origin but rather in and around Beirut. The FPM, a mainly Christian party, found it crucial that mega voting centres are used this year to encourage these Christian voters to participate in the electoral process by having the option to cast their ballots close to home, rather than have to travel hours to reach their constituencies in the far north, east or south.

Accordingly, they may have deemed this vital to increase their chances of winning more seats, as many believe the FPM’s parliamentary bloc is likely to lose seats in the upcoming elections and shrink in size. For them, failing to adopt the mega voting centre might be the difference between them holding their position as the most voted for party in the country and a significant electoral setback.

Conversely, other parties were concerned that a higher voter turnout would harm them in the election. Grave violations of the rule of law and the democratic process, such as bribery and pressuring voters, is a common occurrence in Lebanon on election day: keeping voters far from their constituencies - and the factions that rule them - would’ve meant that constituents could vote free of any nefarious influence. This may have boosted several reformist or independent parties and would have likely threatened the larger, established parties.

The Failure of Voting Centres

The government’s failure to set up these mega voting centres again reflects its incompetence, and is only one of many recent examples of their inability to bring in real change and reform.

Now that the polling date has been set, candidate lists prepared, and political and sectarian rhetoric heating up only weeks before the crucial election day, we are yet to see what the voter turnout will be.

Will those living far from their constituencies still take to the ballot boxes despite not having a mega centre option, as many struggle to get by on a daily basis? Will the voter turnout stand at half or even less this time? Do people even believe elections can change anything in a country which, at this point, requires a miracle to overcome its crises?

Only May 15 will tell.