Lebanese living outside will vote

[Youchka]

Originally Posted by Dalzi

The people have changed heaps, to the worse of course. Everything changed after Hariri died, they made devils out of Aoun and Narallah. Believe it or not, when you ask some how they can trust Geagea instead of Aoun, they tell you "ma geagea tghayyar, sayer mnee7" What do you say to people who can't see or hear or understand? They haven't only lost their sense of judgement, but also their memory.

To those people i say: sahtein 3a albak Geagea, ma kharjak ella Geagea.

[Zghertewe]

Originally Posted by GeaGea SkyWalkeR

If this happens Aoun and hasoona will be crushed. Not many people like hezb outside lebanon.

Lebanese living abroad like el shyatiinn and don't like Geagea. Focus on winning the Lebanese in Lebanon first and to be more specific focus on winning Bchare. "Crushed" will definitely be witnessed in the upcoming elections, hold tight.

[Ccerlebanon]

Hello everyone! I'm Doreen from the Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform. I would just like to point out that Out of Country Voting as a principle has been agreed upon in the Justice and Administration Committee. Wait remains are largely technical issues - the Minister of the Interior Ziyad Baroud who is a strong support of the issue, is waiting for a reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on whether overseas consulates and embassies are equiped to organise elections. We need to know if there is the required staff. Moreover, embassy employees need to be trained, and we also need to make sure they have the necessary materials. Technically and logistically it needs time, planning and efficiency. There are two likely options: the reform is passed but will be applicable for the 2013 elections, or it will pass and be applicable for 2009 in some countries only (where embassies have the necessary staff and space). The Civil Campaign has a representative inside the Justice and Administration Committee who is giving advice on these technical issues.

Don't forget that political reservations to Out of Country Voting are harder to justify when we solve the technical issues.

[Amirkani]

Originally Posted by Ccerlebanon

Hello everyone! I'm Doreen from the Civil Campaign for Electoral Reform. I would just like to point out that Out of Country Voting as a principle has been agreed upon in the Justice and Administration Committee. Wait remains are largely technical issues - the Minister of the Interior Ziyad Baroud who is a strong support of the issue, is waiting for a reply from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on whether overseas consulates and embassies are equiped to organise elections. We need to know if there is the required staff. Moreover, embassy employees need to be trained, and we also need to make sure they have the necessary materials. Technically and logistically it needs time, planning and efficiency. There are two likely options: the reform is passed but will be applicable for the 2013 elections, or it will pass and be applicable for 2009 in some countries only (where embassies have the necessary staff and space). The Civil Campaign has a representative inside the Justice and Administration Committee who is giving advice on these technical issues.

Don't forget that political reservations to Out of Country Voting are harder to justify when we solve the technical issues.

We thank you guys for your hard work and persistence.

Are we considering embassies only as venues for out-of-country voting? How about consulates? Even both embassies & consulates won't make a dent in some of the large countries... just look at the USA.

Has the absentee ballot process been looked at as an alternative?

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[Ccerlebanon]

So far its embassies and consulates. For countries like the U.S. and Canada, the best option is to open voting centres where there is a large concentration of Lebanese citizens. This is why its important for all Lebanese living abroad to go now and register at their embassies, so we know exactly how many they are. If we don't open these voting centres, then Lebanese living far from their embassies could vote by mail. However, this is all a bit costly and, as I said, requires advance preparation and efficiency. Many embassies are short-staffed, and will need extra staff to help them. That's why its important for Lebanese to go and register at their embassies, because they might be required to help set up voting centres, and spread awareness to their fellow citizens living abroad. When the Iraqis organised out of country voting in 2005, they set up 4 voting centres in Lebanon. 90% of the staff who worked on the elections were Iraqis living in Lebanon.

[TAYYAR AL AOUNI]

Administration and Justice Commission approves emigrants’ right to vote

September 8, 2008

After a meeting in Nejmeh Square on Monday, the parliamentary Administration and Justice Committee approved Lebanese emigrants’ right to vote in the 2009 parliamentary elections.

All Lebanese citizens residing outside Lebanon can vote, the committee announced, on condition they register at the respective Lebanese embassy.

Lebanese embassies are to send the list of registered voters to the Interior Ministry by 2009.

The committee also agreed on the tenth article of the electoral draft law, which says that heads of municipalities should resign six months before elections, rather than two years, if they wish to run for parliamentary elections.

The heads of the federation of municipalities are still required to resign two years prior to their candidacy for elections.

-NOW Staff

[Amirkani]

Originally Posted by Ccerlebanon

So far its embassies and consulates. For countries like the U.S. and Canada, the best option is to open voting centres where there is a large concentration of Lebanese citizens. This is why its important for all Lebanese living abroad to go now and register at their embassies, so we know exactly how many they are. If we don't open these voting centres, then Lebanese living far from their embassies could vote by mail. However, this is all a bit costly and, as I said, requires advance preparation and efficiency. Many embassies are short-staffed, and will need extra staff to help them. That's why its important for Lebanese to go and register at their embassies, because they might be required to help set up voting centres, and spread awareness to their fellow citizens living abroad. When the Iraqis organised out of country voting in 2005, they set up 4 voting centres in Lebanon. 90% of the staff who worked on the elections were Iraqis living in Lebanon.

Register in Embassies? Register for what? There is no such thing... If you go and tell an Embassy or Consulate staff that you want to register, they will laugh at you and think you're an alien from Mars.

Until they receive clear and strict orders from the Foreign Ministry in Lebanon and some type of a "process" to register Lebanese citizens living in their respective countries, Embassy staff aren't going to take any initiative on their own or do a single thing that will make them work more than the 1/2 hour a day they got used to working.

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[SeekNirvana]

Originally Posted by Ccerlebanon

So far its embassies and consulates. For countries like the U.S. and Canada, the best option is to open voting centres where there is a large concentration of Lebanese citizens. This is why its important for all Lebanese living abroad to go now and register at their embassies, so we know exactly how many they are. If we don't open these voting centres, then Lebanese living far from their embassies could vote by mail. However, this is all a bit costly and, as I said, requires advance preparation and efficiency. Many embassies are short-staffed, and will need extra staff to help them. That's why its important for Lebanese to go and register at their embassies, because they might be required to help set up voting centres, and spread awareness to their fellow citizens living abroad. When the Iraqis organised out of country voting in 2005, they set up 4 voting centres in Lebanon. 90% of the staff who worked on the elections were Iraqis living in Lebanon.

And what is in mind to oversee the whole process taking place in embassies?

[ThinkLebanese]

Hello everyone,I am an employee at the Lebanese Embassy in London. I would like to point out that the possibility of Lebanese voting outside Lebanon(at least in the UK) is very litte. This is because the Embassy is not technically equipped to handle such a process, and because there is a shortage of staff. I believe that is the case with most Lebanese Embassies around the world, and that's why the foreign ministry will most likely reject the decision taken by the justice committee. Don't get your hopes up guys, I would have loved to vote in 2009 too.

[Amirkani]

Originally Posted by ThinkLebanese

Hello everyone,I am an employee at the Lebanese Embassy in London. I would like to point out that the possibility of Lebanese voting outside Lebanon(at least in the UK) is very litte. This is because the Embassy is not technically equipped to handle such a process, and because there is a shortage of staff. I believe that is the case with most Lebanese Embassies around the world, and that's why the foreign ministry will most likely reject the decision taken by the justice committee. Don't get your hopes up guys, I would have loved to vote in 2009 too.

Has absentee balloting been considered? That should cut dramatically on the number of staff needed and make it a lot easier for voters to actually vote... and it's really not a hi-tech process.

How about enlisting the help of Lebanese volunteers in the country also? I don't think there will be a shortage of those...

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