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UAE's Lebanese diaspora to cast overseas ballots on Sunday

The polling will occur from 7am and continue until 10pm at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and Consulate in Dubai

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The Lebanese expatriates in the UAE will cast their overseas votes for Lebanon’s parliamentary elections at the Embassy in Abu Dhabi and the Consulate in Dubai on Sunday, May 8.

The Lebanese mission in Abu Dhabi shared a post on social media confirming the mission’s readiness to welcome registered voters at the Embassy and the Consulate on Friday. The polling will occur from 7am and continue until 10pm on May 8.

Thousands of Lebanese living in Arab countries, including Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar, Iraq and six other countries, cast their votes at polling stations in diplomatic missions and other locations on Friday, May 6.

The second round of voting will be held on May 8 in 49 countries, including the UAE, which has Sunday as the weekend. The overseas elections take place nine days before the vote is scheduled at home.

This is the second time citizens residing abroad have been able to vote for their 128 representatives. Upcoming elections are the first since protesters massively took to the streets in 2019 against the country’s entrenched ruling elite, widely blamed for the economy’s collapse.

Foreign Affairs Minister Abdallah Bou Habib said Thursday that Lebanese based abroad could vote in more than 205 polling stations. According to media reports, more than 225,000 people have registered to vote overseas, a jump from roughly 92,000 in the 2018 elections -- though only 50,000 of them voted.

However, while on the rise, voter registration is relatively low among the millions of Lebanese who live abroad. On Thursday, Prime Minister Najib Mikati encouraged voters residing abroad to turn up at the polling booths in large numbers and cast their votes.

dhanusha@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE