A senior European official emphasized the urgent need to form a new government in Lebanon. In detail, Luis Miguel Bueno, the spokesperson for the European Union for the Middle East and North Africa, stated in an interview with "Al Arabiya" that the EU urges a swift formation of a new government in Lebanon and the pursuit of necessary reforms in the country. He noted that "the Union helped make the parliamentary elections that took place last week possible by providing technical assistance to the electoral management bodies and sending a monitoring mission." He clarified that "the monitoring mission issued its preliminary report, which indicated that the electoral system, violations, and vote buying led to an imbalance in opportunities; this report will be followed by a final report."
He continued by saying, "We expect the newly elected Parliament to support a quick process to form the government and to work on adopting all legislation and implementing necessary reforms to improve governance and economic stability for the benefit of Lebanon and its people. Additionally, the new Parliament should contribute to implementing the necessary preliminary measures in the staff-level agreement with the International Monetary Fund signed on April 7, in order to start a program with the Fund."
The spokesperson also anticipated that the Lebanese presidential and municipal elections would take place on time, in accordance with the principles, mentioning that "the European Union will continue to stand by Lebanon and its people, especially since this support has been ongoing for decades without interruption. In 2020 alone, the EU provided around 333 million euros to assist the country. We are ready to continue supporting it after an agreement is reached with the International Monetary Fund." Furthermore, he reiterated the need for necessary reforms to ensure security, stability, and sustainable prosperity for Lebanon and its citizens.
