The Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, inspected the operations room and held a meeting with the Director General of Personal Status in the ministry, Major Elias Khoury, and the Director General of Political Affairs and Refugees, Faten Younes, in the presence of representatives from security agencies and official administrations. Mawlawi issued directives for the smooth conduct of the electoral process scheduled for next Sunday.
He then met with the UN Secretary-General's representative, Joanna Wronecka, who provided an update on the ongoing preparations. Following that, he met with the British Ambassador to Lebanon, focusing on the preparations for the parliamentary elections.
Additionally, the Minister of Interior met with a delegation from the "International Organization of La Francophonie," discussing the election monitoring process for the upcoming Sunday. Minister Mawlawi signed an agreement with a delegation of monitors from the "Arab League," which stipulates the monitoring of the electoral process conducted by the Ministry of Interior.
After signing the agreement, Mawlawi stated: "We signed this agreement as a confirmation of our commitment to the transparency of the electoral process and the accuracy of our work at all administrative, security, and logistical levels. You are with us starting from this moment until the end of the electoral process, the counting of votes, and the announcement of results. We, at the Ministry of Interior, confirm our Arab identity and our commitment to having you with us. There was some delay in the legal administrative procedures to prepare this protocol between the Ministry of Interior and the Arab League; we obtained the approval of the Cabinet and the opinion of the Legislative and Consultative Authority in the Ministry of Justice, which are necessary steps to legitimize your presence with us, which we cherish."
He continued: "We confirm our trust in conducting transparent elections while respecting the law and the rights of citizens and voters to safely guide Lebanon. We call on the Lebanese to participate heavily on Sunday, with an overseas voting turnout of 63.5% and 84% among public employees, which is a good rate. We hope that this turnout will also be high next Sunday, contributing to bringing Lebanon out of its crises. Lebanon of tomorrow must be better than Lebanon of yesterday, and we rely on all Lebanese to witness this."
The Assistant Secretary-General of the Arab League, Ahmed Rashid Khatibi, expressed his deep gratitude for the significant support facilitating the Arab League’s mission to contribute to this electoral entitlement, which indicators suggest will be a new bright and shining milestone in the course of national Lebanese work.
He added: "I wish you all the best for your country, a founding member of the Arab League, at the core of the Secretary-General's concerns. We will sign the legal framework defining the duties and commitments of team members regarding this mission, ensuring it is conducted under the best conditions, thanks to your support and the requirements of integrity, neutrality, and respect for the constitutional and legal systems of the Lebanese Republic. This memorandum will empower team members to operate freely and responsibly within the territory of the Lebanese Republic, thus allowing us to fulfill our tasks during the polling, counting, and announcement of results, as well as monitoring all aspects of the electoral climate. We have observed the level of organization closely and acknowledged the efforts made by the Ministry of Interior and the state authorities, as well as the Election Supervisory Authority."
