What Does the Law Say About Delayed Expatriate Ballots?

Just 72 hours before the polling stations open this coming Sunday, the scheduled date for parliamentary elections, and after the completion of the expatriate elections, not all ballot boxes from abroad have yet arrived. Meanwhile, social media and news outlets have circulated that some of these boxes will not arrive until May 17, which is after the election date, a situation unprecedented and alarming. This raises several questions, especially since the voting process for expatriates has involved many issues that have shaken confidence in the adopted mechanism and those who manage it, along with their political and partisan backgrounds. What transpired in Dubai and Australia serves as a clear example and provides justification for any doubts regarding the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' management of these elections. However, sources from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attributed the delays to the shipping company responsible for transporting the boxes from the countries where elections took place to Beirut. They confirmed in a call with "Anbaa," that the boxes will arrive in Beirut before the end of the week, starting from today, Thursday. They noted that "if their arrival is delayed until after Saturday, it will have negative repercussions that we hope to avoid." Thus, what is the legal stance if this situation occurs? Legal and constitutional expert Professor Said Malek confirmed in an interview with "Anbaa" that the boxes are expected to arrive in Beirut by Thursday morning. He added, "If we assume, for argument's sake, that they are delayed beyond May 15, this will certainly affect the announcement of the final results of the elections. If there are boxes that have not yet arrived, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs needs to be alert to this issue." He continued, "I believe the boxes will arrive in Beirut before the elections."