Lebanon approves $18 million to hold May election

Beirut, February 16 (BNA) Lebanese Minister of Communications Johnny Corm said after a cabinet meeting that the Lebanese government agreed on Tuesday to allocate 360 ​​billion Lebanese pounds (18 million dollars) for holding parliamentary elections.

Lebanon plunged into a financial crisis in 2019 and some officials have raised concerns that the elections may be postponed due to financial constraints.

Speaking after the cabinet session, Acting Information Minister Abbas Al-Halabi quoted Prime Minister Najib Mikati as saying that the last vote in 2018 cost the state $54 million, but now only a much smaller amount is available.

The United Nations and Western governments have repeatedly urged Lebanese leaders to hold the elections on time and allocate appropriate funding, amid concerns that powerful political parties may seek to use the financial crisis as an excuse to postpone the vote.

The May 15 elections will be the first for the 128-member legislature since mass protests in October 2019 against political elites widely seen as responsible for decades of corruption and mismanagement, according to Reuters.

The United Nations Special Coordinator in Lebanon, Joanna Wronica, had stressed earlier on Tuesday in a statement issued by the United Nations the importance of holding the elections on time.

“I hope that the electoral budget will be approved by the Cabinet … so that preparations can proceed quickly and there is no shadow of uncertainty about the elections,” Wronica said.


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