On Sunday, the second round of the 2022 parliamentary elections was initiated, with the members of the Lebanese diaspora in Dubai queuing in long lines to cast their votes.
Out of the 48 countries where the Lebanese diaspora got ready to partake in this democratic event, the Lebanese in the UAE were the ones to show one of the highest turnouts despite the very hot weather.
Since the opening of the voting center, long queues formed outside of the Lebanese consulate in Dubai and large crowds in Abu Dhabi.
For the thousands of Lebanese people enduring the heat waiting outside the polling centers, this was their chance to make their voices matter for the much-needed change they need for their country.
The majority of the Lebanese nation deems a change in the parliament crucial, holding responsible the long-standing ruling parties for the disastrous status quo of the country, from the hyperinflation, corruption, and mismanagement, to the alarming increase in brain drain and poverty, and the interference in the judicial.
Many in the diaspora ache to return home and that can’t be possible for them unless a major change materializes. Hence their eagerness to vote.
Many were seen rushing to the voting polls to make it on time to vote straight after landing in Dubai late at night. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) had directed the consulate to keep its doors open so everyone can vote.
Those lines in Dubai were described by some as the “queues of revenge” as the Lebanese were waiting to vote against those who have caused the hardships of long lines in front of gas stations and bakeries in Lebanon.
Worth noting that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) faced criticism for not providing the needed numbers of polling centers despite the huge numbers of voters, settling for the smaller space of the consulate.
In an interview with Al Jadeed, the Foreign Minister, Abdalla Bou Habib, argued that Lebanon wanted to hold the voting in the World Trade Center in Dubai, but it would have cost Lebanon about $200,000.
It remains that larger spaces exist, as commented by the Lebanese expats in UAE, such as schools and community centers that were opened in various countries for the Lebanese diaspora to vote.
