Close Menu
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Tuesday, July 15, 2025
    961
    Instagram Facebook LinkedIn TikTok
    • Breaking News
    • Guides
    • Food & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Join the Team
    • Whatsapp
      • 961
      • 961 News
    Advertise with Us Get the App
    961
    Home»News»Politics
    Lebanon Elections Explained
    961News
    4 Mins Read

    How Lebanon Is Using Discriminative Laws To Limit Change At Elections

    By Hussein YassineSeptember 18, 2021Updated:September 20, 2021
    Facebook WhatsApp Copy Link

    Lebanon’s electoral system has changed repeatedly throughout the years, the last change being in 2017. Despite that, the system is still considered to be unfair for various reasons.

    For years, civil groups and organizations have called for the introduction of new amendments to Lebanon’s electoral laws in a way that guarantees a fair and transparent electoral process.

    However, corruption and the interests of the country’s officials and political parties continue to stand in the way of change to this day.

    Here are three major ways Lebanon’s ruling class has limited political change through the electoral system.

    Adults Can’t Vote Until…

    Unlike other countries, an adult in Lebanon cannot vote in general elections until they reach the age of 21.
    We Are Restless

    Officially, the age of adulthood is 18 in Lebanon, as it is in many countries around the world.

    Unlike other countries, however, an adult in Lebanon cannot vote in general elections until they reach the age of 21. This almost changed over a decade ago, but it ended up not.

    On March 19th, 2009, the Lebanese Parliament unanimously voted for a law proposal that lowers the voting age at general elections from 21 to 18.

    The historic proposal, approved with longtime pressure from Lebanese youth and civil organizations, was supposed to take effect during the 2013 elections.

    The backtracking came on February 22nd, 2010, when the proposal reached Parliament’s General Committee to be finally voted on, only for 66 MPs to abstain from voting on it, 34 to vote for it, and one to vote against it.

    The proposal was rejected.

    The calls to lower the voting age have since remained one of the biggest demands on the table for the electoral system.

    Over the past 10 years, civil society groups have continuously pushed for this change, but the desired law has remained in the drawer, despite repeated promises by various officials and political parties to ratify it before the next elections.

    Now, Lebanon is eight months away from the next elections, but adults under the age of 21 still lack the legal capacity to vote.

    In the meantime, Parliament is looking into a proposed amendment to the 2017 electoral law that involves lowering the voting age to 18.

    However, there is no guarantee that this will happen, taking into account the way this matter has been handled over the past decade.

    Six Seats

    The capacity for expatriates to vote, introduced in the 2017 electoral law, was a step forward in the right direction for Lebanon's electoral system. However, that step is far from being complete, let alone perfect.
    Anadolu Agency

    Up until the May 2018 elections, Lebanese expats had never voted in Lebanese general elections.

    The capacity for expats to vote, introduced in the 2017 electoral law, was a step forward in the right direction for Lebanon’s electoral system. However, that step is far from being complete, let alone perfect.

    Although Lebanese living abroad have voted – and are set to vote again – in general elections, their vote does not hold the weight that it should.

    Today, the majority of the total Lebanese population (approximately 75% according to some estimates) lives outside Lebanon, and yet the electoral system does not appear to take that fact into account.

    Article 122 of the 2017 electoral law dictates that 6 seats should be added to the total number of seats (a new total of 134 seats) at Parliament in the electoral cycle that follows the first electoral cycle that takes place in accordance with the same law. The cycle in question is the upcoming one that will take place in May 2022.

    Although expatriates will have MPs to represent them for the first time next year, the fact that only 6 parliamentary seats will represent the entire diaspora makes the process of voting from abroad unfair.

    A Lebanese Woman’s Family

    Another reason the current electoral system can be considered unfair is the age-old Lebanese gender inequality problem.
    Anadolu Agency

    Another reason the current electoral system is deemed unfair is the age-old gender inequality problem in Lebanon’s laws.

    By law, Lebanon does not grant citizenship to a foreigner married to a Lebanese woman, nor to her children, whereas a Lebanese man automatically passes on his citizenship to his wife and children, even if the wife is a foreigner.

    One of the numerous ways this discrimination affects the lives of households where the mother is the only Lebanese national is by automatically denying its members the right to vote in Lebanese elections.

    In such households, the mother is the only member eligible to vote.

    Local civil rights groups have, for years, called for equality in this regard, as have international organizations, such as Human Rights Watch, which recognize its serious negative impact on these families.

    The Lebanese electoral system is a complex one that revolves around sects in the distribution of parliamentary seats. Check out our explainer for it.

    Lebanon Elections
    Share. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn WhatsApp Reddit Email

    For You

    shark tank Lebanon

    Shark Tank Is Officially Coming To Lebanon – Here’s How You Can Get A Chance To Pitch Your Idea

    whish pay lebanon 961

    You Can Now Use Whish Pay At Shopify Stores

    lebanon cybergames 2025 hacking 961

    Lebanon Just Won A Global Hacking Competition

    visa whish money partnership

    Visa and Whish Money Just Partnered To Push Digital Payments in Lebanon and Abroad

    uae travel ban lebanon 961

    UAE Is Officially Removing The Travel Ban On Lebanon

    Joe Issa El-Khoury 961

    Who is Joe Issa El-Khoury, Lebanon’s New Minister of Industry

    shark tank Lebanon

    Shark Tank Is Officially Coming To Lebanon – Here’s How You Can Get A Chance To Pitch Your Idea

    lebanon jounieh cyprus by ferry 961

    You’ll Soon Be Able To Travel Between Lebanon & Cyprus By Ferry

    June 8, 2025

    20 Celebrities You Probably Didn’t Know Had Lebanese Roots

    April 22, 2019

    Lebanon’s Shawarma Is Going Viral in The Philippines

    April 21, 2019
    whish pay lebanon 961

    You Can Now Use Whish Pay At Shopify Stores

    June 13, 2025
    Lebanese boutiques

    25 Boutiques In Lebanon To Find Your Dream Evening Dress This Wedding Season

    June 9, 2024

    20 Typical Lebanese Slang Expressions

    April 21, 2020
    caracalla one thousand and one nights

    Caracalla Just Added More Dates For “One Thousand and One Nights” & You Def Don’t Want To Miss It!

    July 5, 2025

    How Mia Khalifa Became One Of The Most Outspoken Advocates For Lebanon

    August 13, 2020
    lebanese beer brands almaza beirut beer 961

    Lebanese Beer Brands Are Publicly Throwing Shade, And It’s Getting Frothy

    June 7, 2025
    961 Logo
    Facebook WhatsApp TikTok Instagram

    Popular Topics

    • Guides
    • Eat & Drink
    • Listicles
    • Lebanon News
    • Diaspora
    • Explained

    961

    • About
    • WhatsApp Channel
    • News WhatsApp Channel
    • Corrections Policy
    • Ownership & Funding

    Services

    • Advertise
    • Careers
    • App Waitlist
    • Contact Us
    • Newsletter
    961™ | All Rights Reserved ©2025
    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it.