Among the tens of thousands of the Lebanese in the diaspora who got ready to vote in the 2022 parliamentary elections, the Lebanese living in Canada, the U.S, and Latin America had also mobilized to vote.
As of the time of writing, there hasn’t been an official confirmation of the turnout in North and Latin America, which has yielded different reports from the local media with correspondents on site.
The state-run NNA reported on Sunday a total voter turnout of 5,556 voters or 10.02% in North America despite the large participation witnessed, and 540 voters or 9.67% in Latin America.
However, the numbers don’t coincide with those reported by other established media.
It is important to note that some polling stations abroad kept operating until Monday, Beirut time, and that the final turnout count will be issued on May 15th by the registration committee, according to the Director of Expatriates at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hadi Hashem.
Here is what is known so far:
North America: 30.94% of registered voters
In the United States:
Al-Jadeed correspondent said that the voter turnout in Washington D.C. reached 56% of the total registered voters.
MTV reported that the voter turnout in Los Angeles reached 62% about an hour and a quarter before the polls closed.
LBCI reported that the voter turnout in Connecticut was 57%, in Boston 66%, and in Ohio 62%.
In Canada:
Al-Jadeed correspondent in Canada said that the number of voters reached 1420 in Saint Charbel Center in Ottawa, which represents about 60% of the total number of registered voters of 2336.
An MTV correspondent reported that, according to preliminary figures, 9,648 voters or 67.47 % voted in Montreal.
Latin America: 34.19% of registered voters
NNA had reported a low turnout of 9.67% of Lebanese registered voters while other Lebanese news agencies, such as LBCI, reported a turnout of 34.19%.
It is to note that many in the diaspora across the world faced impediments to reaching their assigned polling centers due to long distances and the absence of centers in their city or region.
A Lebanese voter in Turkey, for example, shared that he had to travel for 2 days to reach the polling station in Istanbul. While his act could be deemed heroic, not all Lebanese could do it, especially families with young children.
It was neither easy for some in the UAE as they had to fly within the country to the consulate in Dubai just to vote.
In Spain, for instance, there was no polling station in Madrid. The only two polling stations were set up in Barcelona, which is about a 5h-6h ride by car or train.
Related: The Overall Lebanese Diaspora Voter Turnout Was Reportedly About 60%, Here Are The Details.
