Lebanese Christian MPs walk out of parliament session over rejection of expat voting law

BEIRUT — Following the Lebanese Parliament’s refusal to include a draft law allowing expatriates to vote for all parliamentary seats—instead of the current six—several MPs from the Lebanese Forces Party and Kataeb Party, along with others, walked out in protest. Despite their withdrawal, the session continued and proceeded with legislative activities. 

At the start of the session, Lebanese Forces MP George Okais addressed Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, stating that more than 65 MPs had signed a petition to add the ‘Out of Country Vote’ proposal to the agenda. However, Berri responded that he had not received the petition and would follow proper procedures once it is officially submitted. 

After Berri refused to add the proposal to the agenda, MPs from the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb Party, as well as several independent and change bloc MPs, began withdrawing from the session in protest. However, the legal quorum required for the session—set at 65 MPs—remained intact, with 68 MPs present in the parliamentary hall. As a result, the session continued and proceeded with passing legislation. 

بعد الانسحاب من جلسة #مجلس_النواب: إلغاء بند الـ 6 نواب حاجة ملحة لان من حق المغتربين التأثير في نتائج الانتخابات ونطالب بجلسة نيابية للاطلاع على مستجدات ملف حصرية السلاح pic.twitter.com/5T2lCkfeRH

— Samy Gemayel (@samygemayel) June 30, 2025

Speaking to reporters after the walkout, Samy Gemayel (Kataeb) said the walk-out was to show the commitment of the coalition who submitted the amendment to the election law, that Out of the Country Voters must be enabled to cast their vote in the constituencies of origin.

Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan criticized the decision, saying, “For the first time in thirty years, we submit an urgent draft law that is not placed on the agenda.” He added that when he asked Berri about the reason, the response was that other standard legislative proposals were already scheduled. Adwan noted that MPs from various political blocs had endorsed the proposal and that the conditions were suitable to include it on the agenda. “What happened,” he said, “undermines the legislative process instead of advancing it.” 

Lebanon’s parliamentary elections are set for next year May. According to the official numbers by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, the overall turnout for the 2002 elections was slightly above 49.19% (2018: 49.7).

In the 2022 elections, some 142 thousand expatriate votes were cast for the official six expatriate seats, with the Lebanese Forces coming out on top with some 30 thousand Out of the Country Votes.