Now that the expatriate elections have concluded with varying turnout rates—high in some countries and low in others—the contents of most ballot boxes have been transported to Lebanon. According to "Al-Liwaa," a DHL cargo plane arrived at Rafic Hariri International Airport in Beirut carrying fifty-seven boxes containing votes from Lebanese citizens who voted in the United Arab Emirates. The last boxes, closed yesterday morning, are still in the western coast of the United States and Canada, awaiting transport to Beirut to be opened during the counting of votes and the announcement of final election results.
Therefore, attention is now focused on the general elections in Lebanon scheduled for next Sunday, May 15, amid ongoing electoral-political shouting and continued preparations by the Ministry of Interior for the upcoming event. With the expatriate elections completed, only five days remain until the electoral deadline, three of which are expected to witness an increase in electoral rhetoric that will cease with the start of the electoral silence phase on the night of Friday-Saturday, continuing until the ballot boxes close on Sunday night, the 15th. Notably, Thursday, May 12, will see the election of employees working as poll clerks and secretaries for the elections expected on Sunday, with a total of 14,950 employees voting across administrative centers in all Lebanese districts based on their registration location and not their workplace. The majority of these employees are in Akkar with 1,882, followed by Baalbek with 1,722, and the Chouf district with 1,207 employees.
In a move reflecting the interest in participating in the elections, a large number of residents from Tripoli flocked to the Tripoli governmental building early in the morning to obtain identity cards to enable them to participate in the voting on Sunday. Anis Nassar, a member of the Strong Republic Bloc, urged Lebanese citizens to take responsibility, asserting in a call to the electronic "Anbaa" that "the participation of expatriate Lebanese in the elections will reflect the same spirit seen among expats; there is no fear for the sovereign team regarding the election results, as they will certainly be in its favor." He emphasized that "the battle for change has begun, and what happened in France and Dubai is clear evidence of the rejection of armed hegemony and support for the establishment of a state with all its components." He expressed hope that the results from the expatriate voting would reflect positively on domestic outcomes, indicating promising results.
Regarding Hezbollah's intention to gain a majority, Nassar confirmed that "the sovereign approach has started, and the train of change is now in motion; Hezbollah must take heed, as the hands of the clock cannot be turned back."
