Lebanese Forces party accuses foreign minister of manipulating elections for Free Patriotic Movement

BEIRUT — A number of MPs from the Lebanese Forces party have accused Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdallah Bou Habib of manipulating and narrowing Lebanese expatriate voters in favor of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).

Lebanese Forces “Strong Republic” bloc, represented by deputies Pierre Bouassi, Eddy Abillammaa, and Imad Wakim, requested a meeting of the General Assembly of the House of Representatives with the aim of holding a confidence vote over Lebanese Foreign Minister Abdullah Bou Habib for serious irregularities with regard to the voting of expatriates during the next general elections.

A member of the Strong Republic bloc, Deputy Joesph Ishac, recently stated that a corrupt system was attempting to manipulate the votes of expatriates.

Ishac added that FPM leader Gebran Bassil instructed Bo Habib to determine the potential of expatriate polling to affect the outcome of the election and to make it difficult for expatriates to vote by having polling stations strategically located to FPM’s advantage.

He explained that a polling station had been located in Costa Rica, which could only be reached by plane. Polling places in Australia were similarly difficult to reach.