The 2026 Lebanese elections are just a few months away, and it’s time for all expats to register and preserve their right to vote. Unfortunately—just like in 2018 and 2022—it’s still unclear whether expatriates will be allowed to vote in their original electoral districts, or be limited to the highly controversial and discriminatory “6-seat” system.
For those unfamiliar with this plan: the “6 seats” were introduced under Lebanon’s Electoral Law 44 (2017), allocating six parliamentary seats to the diaspora—one for each major religious confession (Maronite, Orthodox, Catholic, Sunni, Shia, Druze). However, since the law passed, no implementing decrees have been issued to define how those seats would be distributed across continents, how candidates would be nominated, or how voting logistics would be organized. Even if these regulations were issued today, there is neither sufficient time nor infrastructure to implement them effectively for the 2026 elections.
On the other hand, the solution to this problem is simple: let expats vote for all 128 seats—just as they have in past elections, and as they should always be allowed to. The “6-seat” model has no practical, legal, or moral justification. Its only purpose is to dilute the influence of the diaspora, whose votes increasingly challenge the status quo.
Unsurprisingly, the main supporters of the “6-seat” plan are the same political factions that rely on coercion, money, and clientelism to secure votes inside Lebanon—tactics they cannot replicate abroad. These are also the same groups who have opposed allowing citizens to vote where they live, or to establish mega voting centers that would simplify access to the polls even within Lebanon.
While it remains unclear how the 2026 elections will unfold, expats must still register before the deadline on the following site: [Diaspora].