Republic of Lebanon Ministry of Interior and Municipalities
Guide for National and International Observers and the Media ELECTIONS 7 JUNE 2009
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Table of Contents Letter from the Minister Introduction I. Brief overview of the electoral system 1. The parliament 2. Electoral districts 3. Candidates 4. Electoral administration 5. Voter eligibility 6. Voting process 7. Counting and announcement of results II. Accreditation process III. The Code of Ethics IV. Forms A) National Observer Groups and Media - Individual Credential Application Form B) International Observer Groups and Media - Individual Credential Application Form V. Electoral Law number 25/2008 VI. Decree number 1517 VII. Helpful contacts
Elections 7 June 2009 | 03
Dear Observer, Lebanon is proud of its long democratic experience and traditions and welcomes the presence of international and national observers and media representatives for the 7 June 2009 parliamentary elections. For the first time, Lebanon is formally regulating the status of observers and we are pleased that many organizations will accompany and observe these elections. In an effort to ensure greater acceptance and credibility of the electoral process, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities has taken all steps possible to make the upcoming elections transparent and fair. As such, several administrative improvements have been undertaken to enhance the process and to make it more accessible to voters, observers and the media. We believe that election observation, widely accepted around the world, is conducted in order to provide an impartial and accurate assessment of election processes. Therefore, we have created an Observer Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities to better facilitate your role as an observer. This Guide is intended to help you in the performance of your role by providing you with useful and important information about the electoral process. It also gives you an overview of the legal framework including the observer accreditation process. Thank you for the contributions you are making to the upcoming election process for the benefit of the Lebanese people.
Sincerely,
Ziyad Baroud Minister of Interior and Municipalities
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2. Electoral districts
Introduction The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities prepared this guide to assist national and international electoral observers and media representatives in performing their role during the upcoming Lebanese parliamentary elections which will be held on Sunday, 7 June 2009. The guide represents one of the numerous steps taken by the Ministry in its efforts to ensure greater transparency, credibility and accountability of the electoral process. This guide provides an overview of the framework for the conduct of elections, the rights and responsibilities of observers and media representatives in regard to election observation. It also provides national and international electoral observers and media representatives with information on how to obtain the accreditation needed to accompany and observe the Lebanese parliamentary elections. The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities emphasizes that electoral observation is the systematic collection of information on the electoral process without interference in the process itself. Observation must be exercised in a politically neutral and impartial manner. All activities must be undertaken without bias toward or affiliation with any political party or candidate. Convinced of the importance of electoral observation, the Ministry invites the observers to accompany and observe all phases of the electoral process including election campaigning, polling and counting, and post-election complaint procedures.
I. Brief overview of the electoral system 1. The parliament The Lebanese parliament is a unicameral body consisting of 128 directly elected deputies. In accordance with the constitution, all parliamentary seats are divided equally between Christians and Muslims. The seats are further sub-divided into eleven confessional branches (four within Islam and seven within Christianity). The distribution of the 128 seats among the eleven confessions listed here is specified in the Annex to the Electoral Law.
Seats Muslims Sunni Shia Druze Alawite Christians Maronite Greek Orthodox Greek Catholic Armenian Orthodox Armenian Catholic Evangelical Minorities
64 27 27 8 2 64 34 14 8 5 1 1 1
Lebanon is divided into 26 electoral districts which represent the basis for the allocation of seats to the parliament.
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LEBANON ELECTORAL DISTRICTS UNDER THE 2008 ELECTORAL LAW
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3. Candidates The process of candidate registration closed on 7 April, and the candidate nomination withdrawal period on 22 April 2009. There will be 587 candidates competing in the 7 June 2009 parliamentary elections.
Akkar (7 seats; 40 candidates) North Lebanon Sunni
(3; 21)
Greek Orthodox
Alawite
Maronite Amine Iskandar Iskandar Ibrahim Hadi Fawzi Hobeich Joseph Jebrael Mkhayel Mikhael Antonios Daher Rachid Michel Daher
North Lebanon Sunni
(1; 5)
Abdel Rahman Mohammad Abdel Rahman Haytham Shaaban Hamdan Khodor Mounif Habib Moustapha Ali Hussein Mohammad Tamer Tamer
Minnieh-Dinnieh (3 seats; 35 candidates)
Abdel Basset Abdel Rahman Obeid Abdel Salam Mohammad Dib Al Kheir Abdul Kader Mohammad Al Chami Adel Mohammad Fatfat Ahmad Abd Al Rahman Obeid Ahmad Chawki Mohammad Khodor Fatfat Ahmad Mohammad Chindeb Assaad Ahmad Harmoush Bassam Mahmoud Arramlawi Fadi Malek Kheir Hachem Abdel Fattah Zreika Hachem Mohammad Moustapha Alam Eddine Hassan Abdel Kader Hallak Hassan Nasr Nadeih Ibrahim Khalil Ghareeb Jamil Ahmad Bourhan Al Ali Raad Jihad Mourched Al Samad Kamal Mohammad Saleh Al Kheir
(2; 9)
Abdalah Raouf Hanna Georges Elias Saoud Joseph Abdallah Shahda Karim Abdallah Al Rassi Michael Yaacoub Yaacoub Shahda Nafez Loutfallah Warrak Nidal Gergy Tohme Riad Nicola Rahal Wehbe Khalil Khalil Katicha
Abdallah Wajih Zakaria Ahmad Aref Sobhi Arrajab Ali Mahmoud Allouch Ali Mohammad Tlayss Bilal Hassan Al Mrad Hussein Ahmad Merhi Khaled Abbas Zahraman Khaled Ibrahim Zakaria Khaled Mohammed Daher Maher Mohammad Abdallah Mahmoud Ahmad Khaled Mohammad Dib Dandachi Mohammad Moustapha Sleiman Mohammad Omar Hawshar Mohammad Yehia Yehia Mouin Mohammad Tarek Al Merhebi Amer Mahmoud Tarraf Saoud Ahmad Al Youssef Sheikh Hassan Ahmad Al Khatib Talal Khaled Abdulkader Al Merhabi Wajih Mohammad Al Baarini
(3; 35) Khaled Ibrahim Al Dhaibi Khaled Khodr Al Kheir Mahmoud Abbas Seif Mazhar Ahmad Osman Mjahed Mohammad Chandab Mohammad Ahmad Alameddine Mohammad Ahmad Talal Al Fadel Mohammad Ahmed Abou Kanj Mohammad Ezzeddine Ahmad Alameddine Mohammad Mahmoud Al Hage Ahmad Mohammad Nour Eddine Ahmad Ali Khalil Nafez Mohammad Assamad Nazih Ahmad Saadeh Qassem Ali Abdul Aziz Saleh Kazem Kheir Toufiq Youssef Al Dhaibi Toufiq Mohammad Zreika
(1; 5)
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Tripoli (8 seats; 40 candidates)
Bcharreh (2 seats; 8 candidates)
North Lebanon Sunni
North Lebanon (5; 22)
Ahmad Moustapha Karameh Bilal Ahmad Jamal Al Shueiki Bilal Said Said Jrad Fadi Mohammed Riyad Adra Fayad Naddem Al Halabi Ghada Mohammad Al Dandashi Hassan Said Al Shahal Hoda Mohammad Sankari Khaldoun Salim Al Sherif Mohammad Abd Al Latif Kabbarah Mohammad Ahmad Al Safadi Mohammad Anas Abdallah Nadim Al Jesr Mohammad Mosbah Aouni Ahdab Mohammad Nabil Wajeeh Oksomwati Al Shaheer Bill Arja Mohammad Najeeb Mikati Mohammad Radwan Zakour Moustapha Rashad Awad Omar Abdel Hamid Karami Rami Mohammad Fadel Hallab Rami Mohammad Yasser Dergam Riad Seifeddine Salhab Samir Adnan Al Jisr
Alawite
(1; 7)
(1; 4)
Antoine Alfred Habib Georges Wadih Toros Raflet Antoine Diab Robert Maurice Fadel
Maronite El Helou Ibrahim El Helou El Helou Georges Edmond Shabtini Ibrahim Youssef Al Tawill Jean Badawi Obeid Pierre Kalim Al Hashaash Regine Nadim Kantara Samer George Saadeh
North Lebanon Maronite
(1; 7)
North Lebanon Maronite
(3; 10) Romanos Touma Boulos Salim Beik Youssef Beik Karam Sleiman Antoine Frangieh Youssef Sarkis Bahaa Al Doueihi Youssef Semaan Obeid
Assaad Youssef Karam Ceasar Farid Moawad Estephen Boutros Al Doueihi Jawad Simon Boulos Michel Rene Mouawad
Koura (3 seats; 15 candidates) North Lebanon
Greek Orthodox Albert Jamil Andraos Edgard Moufid Boulos Farid Ishak Youssef Habib Farid Nabil Mkarri Fayez Michel Ghosn Gabriel Adel Drayek Georges Naim Attallah Semaan Yacoub Al Lakis
(3; 15) Georges Najib Al Borji Georges Semaan Wehbe John Jaber Mfareij Nicola Beik Fouad Beik Ghosn Ghosn Philip Fares Boulos Salim Abdallah Saadeh Souheil Maurice Khoury
Rachid Najib Khalife Rahme Roy Bahjat Issa Al Khoury Sethrida Elias Tawk Shahine Tannous Taouk
Batroun (2 seats; 9 candidates) (2; 10) Jean Jamil Mrad Nabil Emile Jalinos Al Hokayem Rony Charbel Doumit Salim Michel Michel Najeem
Antoine Moussa Moussa Zahra Boutros Joseph Al Khoury Harb Fayek Youssef Gebrayel Younes Gebran Estephan Estephan Bassil Gebran Gergi Gergi Bassil
Baalbeck-Hermel (10 seats; 41 candidates) Bekka
Shia
Zghorta (3 seats; 10 candidates)
(2; 8)
Elie Karam Kayrouz Gebran Melhem Taouk Majid Philipe Abi Saab Michael Hanna Matta
Ali Mohammad Ajaaya Badr Kamel Mohammad Wannous Mohammad Ahmad Traboulsi Mohammad Mahmoud Jehjah Nasr Mohammad Khodr Nazih Selman Tamarra Rifaat Ali Eid
Greek Orthodox
Maronite
Ali Badri Dandach Ali Hussein Al Moqdad Ali Mohammad Salman Bashir Al Moqdad Ali Moustapha Al Hajj Ali Saadoun Zaiter Ali Saleh Al Moussawi Assem Mohammad Kanso Bassam Hussein Ballout Al Mawla Belkher Abdo Chahine Fadi Ali Younes Fayez Shehab Choukor Fouad Khalil Al Mawla Ghazi Mohammad Zaiter Hafez Fahed Kamhaz Hani Ali Shams Hussein Ali Hajj Hassan Hussein Ali Al Moussawi Hussein Ali Zeaiter Mohammad Abbas Hajj Suleiman Mohammad Abdallah Jaafar Mohammad Hassan El Hage Sleiman Mohammad Rached Sabri Bek Hamade Mohammad Sobhi Yaghi Moufdel Mohammad Said Alawa Nawwar Mohammad Al Sahily Riad Abdel Karim Zaiter Rifaat Nayef Al Masri Toufiq Ali Al Daeka
(6; 28)
Sunni
(2; 5)
Al Walid Mohammad Sukarieh Bassel Ahmad Al Hujairi Fadlallah Khodor Solh Ibtisam Abdel Hamid Al Saadi Kamal Mohammad Rifaii
Greek Catholic
(1; 4)
Khalil Mikhael Roufael Marwan Fares Fares Michel Chafik Salloum Saadallah Houlou Ardo
Maronite Akid Hanna Hadchiti Chawqi Tannous Al Faqhri Elias Michael Hadchiti Emile Georges Rahme
(1; 4)
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Zahle (7 seats; 61 candidates)
West Bekaa-Rashaya (6 seats; 25 candidates)
Bekka
Greek Catholic
Bekka (2; 10)
Abdo Emile Al Skaff Elias Joseph Skaff Fouad Hanna Al Turk Ghassan Zeib Al Nadaf Makda Joseph Bridi Moussa Michel Fattoush Naji Michel AL Skaff Nicola Michel Fattoush Tony Gerges Nehme Tony Mikhael Abou Khater
Armenian Orthodox
(1; 8)
Sunni
(1; 7)
Aassem Fayez Arraji Abdallah Hussein Al Sid Bahjat Mohammad Al Harati Fayez Mohammad Araji Hassan Omar Al Ali Ibrahim Khalil Al Mayss Imad Rifaat Qazaoun Imad Zeid Mita Jihad Hussein Al Mouallem Kamal Hassan Al Mayss Khaled Kassem Arraji Khaled Salim Abdel Fattah Mohammad Omar Arraji Mohammad Omar Youssef Al Hechaimi Najib Saed Hachem Omar Qassem Al Jamal Rafiq Mohammad Kassem Rhaime Rida Khaled Al Mays Saed Assaad Salloum Wajih Mohammad Arraji
Camil Khalil Malouf Ibrahim Badii Malouf Joseph Anis Malouf Michel Salim Damous Moussa Sleiman Fraiji Qaissar Naim Rizk Malouf Shoukri Najib Al Tinni
Maronite Elie Michel Marouni Georges Merched Mazraani Joseph Wadii Chamoun Khalil Georges Hrawi Maroun Rashid Al Saghbini Paul Jean Charbel Salim Georges Aoun
(1; 9)
Afif Mohammad Al Mahdy Ali Ahmad Bou Hamdan Ghazwan Ahmad Sharaf Hassan Mohammad Yaaqoub Hatem Ali Taleb Mohammad Hammad Abdallah Mohsen Ali Dalloul Okab Okab Saker Shafiq Al Sayeed Mohammad Al Moussawi
Antoine Khashir Nachanakian Boughos Herabet Kordian Eddy Bogos Demergian Georges Abdin Qassarji Narik Panos Ibrahamian Setrak Gabriel Haotian Shant Marderos Janjanian Warojan Aram Arakilian
Greek Orthodox
Shia
(1; 7)
(1; 20)
Sunni
(2; 14)
Abdul Rahim Youssef Mraad Ali Fares Al Jinani Ali Hussein Al Hajj Amin Ali Hammoud Farouk Ibrahim Dahrouj Jamal Salim Jarrah Khalil Mohammad Yassine Mohammad Hussein Taha Mohammad Kassem Al Qaraawi Nabil Ahmad Fares Salah Hussein Bakri Sami Hussein Al Khatib Samir Mohammad Harb Ziad Nazem Al Kadri
Druze
(1; 2)
Faisal Salim Daoud Wael Wehbi Abou Faour
Greek Orthodox
(1; 4)
Antoine Nicola Saad Elie Najib Ferzli Ibrahim Hanna Al Khoury Norma Adib Ferzli
Maronite
(1; 2)
Henri Youssef Chdeid Robert Iskandar Ghanem
Shia
(1; 3)
Amin Mohammad Wehbe Mahmoud Fares Abou Hamdan Nasser Mossallem Nassrallah
Jbeil (3 seats; 25 candidates) Mount Lebanon Maronite Bechara Boutros Boutros Abi Younis Emile Boutros Nawfal Fadi Najib Rouhana Sakr Fares Antoine Soed Francois Semaan Bassil Jean Nassib Hawat Michel Georges Karam Nazem Shahid Al Khoury Rafiq Elias Abi Younes Shamel Youssef Mouzaya Simon Farid Abi Ramia Walid Najib Al Khoury
(2; 12)
Shia Abbas Hussein Hashem Ali Najib Awad Diab Kamel Kanaan Hekmat Haidar Al Hajj Machour Hassan Haidar Ahmad Mahmoud Ibrahim Awad Mohammad Ali Haidar Mohammad Ali Khalil Haidar Ahmad Moustapha Ali Al Husseini Naim Kheir Shamas Rabah Kazem Abi Haidar Rami Selman Ulleik Talal Mohsen Mokdad
(1; 13)
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Kesrwan (5 seats; 27 candidates)
Baabda (6 seats; 36 candidates)
Mount Lebanon Maronite
Mount Lebanon
(5; 27)
Antoine Youssef Al Houkyem Camil Antoine Ziadeh Carlos Pierre Edde Chaker Elias Salameh Charles Hanna Al Khouri Ayyoub Clovis Clovis Khazen Elie Youssef Zouwein Fadi Abdallah Barakat Fares Nouhad Boueiz Farid Elias Khazen Farid Haykal Khazen Gilberte Maurice Zouwein Habib Nicolas Mdawar Hanna Assaad Ghosn
Maronite
(3; 15)
Abdallah Victor Farhat Alain Joseph Aoun Charles Camil Chidiac Edmond Michael Gharious Elias Georges Abou Assie Gaby Antoine Semaan Hekmat Farah Dib Joseph Abdo Bachaalani Joseph Jean Ghanem Milad Youssef Al Kareh Naji Kamil Gharious Pierre Abdo Al Dakach Salah Edouard Honein Therese Khalil Rizk Allah Youssef Abdo Mounass
Joseph Tanios Azzayek Mansour Fouad Ghanem Al Bon Mansour Gerges Akiki Manuel Maroun Louis Abou Sharaf Michel Naim Aoun Naaman Joseph Mrad Nawfal Edouard Daou Nehmtallah Fares Abi Nasr Sejaan Milad Al Qazzi Simon Habib Sfeir Youssef (Joseph) Hanna Khalil Youssef (Joseph) Louis Abou Sharaf Youssef Elias Salame
Druze
(4; 13)
Greek Orthodox
(2; 6)
Baheej Anis Hawi Elias Samir Moukhaiber Ghassan Elias Al Rahbani Ghassan Emile Moukhaiber Ibrahim Fouad Abi Haidar Michel Elias Al Murr
Armenian Orthodox
Aley (5 seats; 14 candidates) Mount Lebanon (1; 1)
Hagop Ohaness Hagob Pakradounian
Greek Catholic Doctor Antoine Habib Haddad Charles Adib Jazra Edgard Fouad Malouf Elias Constantin Antonious Karame Georges Mansour Al Qassis Ziad Sabaa Saliba
(1; 8)
Ayman Shawkat Shoukair Fadi Najib Al Awar Hisham Samah Al Awar Lieutenant Nabil Kamel Mezher Nadim Aref Al Awar Naji Aflaton Hatoum Omar Amin Al Awar Souheil Asaad Al Awar
Mount Lebanon
Maronite
(2; 13)
Ali Fadel Ammar Bassam Sherif Hamdar Bassem Ahmad Al Sabaa Bilal Assad Farhat Fadi Fakhri Alameh Hassan Ahmad Hassan Khalil Pierre Daher Haddad Ramzi Roustom Kanaj Riad Hassan Raad Saad Mustafa Salim Saeed Mohammed Alama Salah Mahmoud Al Harakeh Tarek Youssef Harb
Metn (8 seats; 26 candidates)
Emile Gergy Kanaan Fouad Antoine Abou Nader Ghassan Assad Al Ashkar Ibrahim Youssef Kanaan Majed Eddy Faek Abi Lamaa Milad Fares Al Sabaali Nabil Sabah Nicola Pierre George Al Ashkar Salim Emile Salhab Sami Amin Al Gemayel Sarkis Elias Sarkis Wadih Fayez Al Hajj Walid Joseph Abou Sleiman
Shia
(1; 6)
Druze
(2; 3)
Akram Hussein Shehaib Suleiman Hasib Al Sayegh Al Ameer Talal Majid Erslan
Greek Orthodox Albert Elias Matta Fadi Elias Al Habr Marwan Mounir Abou Fadel Salam Halim Mamary
(1; 4)
Maronite Antoine Chbib Al Zoghbi Antoine Khalil Mouez Ceasar Remond Abou Khalil Fouad Raji Al Saad Henri Pierre Halou Naji Habib Kanaan Souhail Khalil Bejjani
(2; 7)
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Chouf (8 seats; 21 candidates)
Beirut 3 (10 seats; 41 candidates)
Mount Lebanon Maronite
Beirut (3; 8)
Amin Nabih Azzi Antoine Loutfallah Al Boustani Elie Michel Aoun Georges Jamil Adwan Ghattas Semaan Al Khoury Mario Aziz Aoun Michel Dory Chamoun Nassif Hanna Azzi
Greek Catholic
Druze
(2; 4)
Adnan Chanine Al Baeeni Bahaa Nadim Abdel Khaleq Marwan Mohammad Hamedeh Walid Kamal Beik Jumblatt
Sunni
(1; 3)
Abdo Hassib Mounzer Nehmeh Youssef Tohme Walid Wadih Malouf
(2;6)
Alaa Eddine Khodor Terwa Ayad Sami Abdallah Mohammad Kassem Rachid Al Hajjar Nabil Ahmad Oueidat Yehia Raji Achour Zaher Anwar Al Khatib
Beirut 1 (5 seats; 20 candidates) Beirut
Armenian Catholic
(1; 5)
(1; 3)
Jad Issam Sawaya Michel Pierre Pharaon Nicola Maurice Sehnaoui
Fouad Gastoun Karkour Gregoire Antoine Kaloost Michel Zarih Khorozian Richard Shahan Koyoumjian Serge Berge Torsarkissian
Armenian Orthodox
Greek Catholic
Greek Orthodox (1; 4)
Diran Kevork Sarkissian Warij Ardashas Sabounjian Garabet Toros Harutyunian Jean Loutfik Oghassabian
(1; 4)
Beirut
Arthur Garabet Nazaryan Siboh Ohanis Kalbakian
Shia Abbas Mohammad Yaghi Hani Hassan Kobeissi
(1; 2)
Sunni Adnan Ahmad Arakji Jalal Mohammad Kabrit Mouhieddine Ali Majbour Nouhad Saleh Al Machnouk
Druze
(1; 4)
(1; 3)
Ghalib Hani Abi Mosleh Ghazi Aref Mounzer Ghazi Hani Al Aridi
Evangelical
(1; 3)
Bassam Dr Ramsi Al Shabb Donald Leon Babikian Georges Viken Harutun Ashkhanian
Greek Orthodox
(1; 5)
Atef Mourched Saliba Majdalani Bechara Jamil Merhej Fadi Chaker El Roumi Najah Anis Wakim Pierre Wadih Rbeiz
Shia
South Lebanon Sunni
(1; 3)
Edmond Makram Boulos Boutros Nabil Moussa de Freij Rimon George Al Asmar
Ghazi Ali Youssef Nasser Moussa Kandil Rafiq Khalil Nassrallah Walid Mahmoud Jaber
Ali Sadek Al Sheikh Ammar Bahia Bahaa Al Dine Hariri Fouad Abdel Baset Al Siniora
Beirut 2 (4 seats; 8 candidates) (2; 2)
Abdel Nasser Abdallah Jabri Adel Abdel Rahman Al Daouk Ahmad Youssef Yassine Ali Hussein Baajour Ammar Omar Al Khouri Bahaa Adein Abdel Latif Itani Bassam Mouheiddine Barghout Edris Ali Al Saleh Ghazi Saleh Khamis Ghenwa Adnan Jalloul Ibrahim Mohammad Dalal Al Halabi Imad Medhat Al Hout Khalil Chafik Kharma Khodr Abdel Aziz Taha Mohammad Jamil Qabbani Mohammad Khaled Youssef Al Daouk Mohammad Ziad Wajih Al Ajouz Nizar Adnan Al Kadi Omar Abdel Kader Ghandour Saad Eddine Rafik Hariri Saleh Mohammad Al Arakji Tamam Saeb Beik Salam Zouheir Ibrahim Al Khatib
Christian Minorities
Saida (2 seats; 6 candidates)
Emile Iskandar Al Hayek Massoud Joseph Al Achkar Nadim Bachir Al Gemayel Raymond Georges Al Jbeili
Armenian Orthodox
(5; 23)
(1; 4)
Georges Christo Christo Foreides Issam Nicola Abou Jamra Nasrallah Fadlo Bou Fadel Nayla Gebran Tueni
Maronite
Sunni
(2; 6) Moustapha Souheil Al Qawass Oussama Maarouf Saad Al Masri Naser Mouheiddine Saleem Hamoud
(1; 4)
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Marjaeyoun - Hasbaya (5 seats; 16 candidates)
Jezzine (3 seats; 22 candidates)
South Lebanon
South Lebanon Maronite
(2; 12)
Amal Hikmat Abou Zeid Camil Farid Serhal Edmond Amin Rizk Fawzi Louis Al Asmar Georges Said Najeem Ibrahim Samir Azzaar Joseph Elias Nahra Maroun Youssef Kanaan Michel Tanious Al Halou Nabil Bahjat Nassif Samir Ibrahim Azzar Ziad Michel Aswad
Greek Catholic
(1; 10)
Ajaj Gergi Gergi Haddad Antoine Doctor Salim Khoury Assaad Najeeb Hindi Georges Youssef Al Hajjar Hadi Hassib Al Hindi Issam Gerges Al Haddad Issam Nicolas Sawaya Nicola Ibrahim Al Hajjar Nicola Nadim Naji Salem Rimon Elias Semaan
Druze
Greek Orthodox
Sunni Jamil Ali Daher Kassem Mohammad Ghader Mounif Ahmad Al Khatib Qassem Omar Hashem
(1; 2)
Tyre (4 seats; 8 candidates) South Lebanon
Shia
(2; 5)
Ali Adel Ousseiran Hussein Youssef Zbib Nabih Moustapha Berri Riad Said El Assaad Yehia Mohammad Tamer Ghaddar
Greek Catholic Michel Hanna Moussa Philipe Rached Al Khoury Robert Elias Khoury Sleiman Said Saliba Walid Ibrahim Mezher
Nabatieh (3 seats; 14 candidates)
(1; 5)
Shia
(4; 8)
Abdul Majid Ali Saleh Al Sayed Jamal Al Sayyed Raef Safieddine Ali Afif Al Khalil Ali Sayyed Mohammad Baker Al Amin
Ali Youssef Khreiss Mohammad Abdel Moutaleb Fneish Mohammad Maarouf Jibaai Nawaf Mahmoud Al Moussawi
Bint Jbeil (3 seats; 9 candidates)
South Lebanon
South Lebanon (3; 14)
Shia Mohammad Ali Mourtada Mkaled Mohammad Hassan Raad Mohammad Jamil Jaber Mohammed Hassan Abbas Nadim Samih Osseiran Nizam Ali Houmani Yassine Kamel Jaber
Ahmad Mohammad Khawaja Ali Ahmad Bazzi Ali Akil Mhanna Ayoub Fahd Hmayyed Hassan Nizam Eldine Fadlallah
(1; 2)
Assad Halim Hardane Elias Youssef Abou Rizk
Anwar Mohammad Al Khalil Wissam Kamal Sharrouf
South Lebanon
Abdul Latif Beik Youssef Azzein Adham Mohammad Jabbour Ali Naim Traboulsi Amin Hussein Saleh Hazem Toufiq Chahine Kamal Hassan Wehbe Majid Samih Fayad
(2; 8)
Abbas Mohammad Sharafeddine Adnan Khalil Abboud Ahmad Mohammad Kamel Al Assaad Ali Hassan Khalil Ali Rachid Fayad Mourhaf Ahmad Ramadan Saadallah Mohammad Mazraani Salman Mohammad Al Jabali
Zahrany - Saida Villages (3 seats; 10 candidates)
Shia
Shia
(3; 9) Mahmoud Abed Al Karim Baydoun Mohammad Abdel Hussein Atwi Mohammad Mustafa Kdouh Nazem Khalil Ibrahim
(1; 5)
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4. Electoral administration
5. Voter eligibility
Elections in the Republic of Lebanon are administered by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and the following chart outlines the relevant management structure as well as the way electoral results are transferred to the Ministry for announcement.
In accordance with the Constitution every Lebanese citizen aged twenty one (21) and over has the right to vote. Over 3,257,000 Lebanese citizens registered to vote for the 7 June 2009 parliamentary elections. A citizen must be included in the voter register which is updated annually on 31 March. Members of the military and other citizens in specific categories (e.g. citizens convicted of criminal offenses) cannot vote.
North Lebanon
Akkar Minnieh-Dinnieh Tripoli Zghorta Koura Bcharreh Batroun North Lebanon Total
7 3 8 3 3 2 2 28
5.5% 2.3% 6.3% 2.3% 2.3% 1.6% 1.6% 21.9%
223,538 97,341 196,149 71,035 57,794 46,422 58,444 750,723
6.9% 3.0% 6.0% 2.2% 1.8% 1.4% 1.8% 23.0%
Baalbeck-Hermel Zahle West Bekaa-Rashaya Bekaa Total
10 7 6 23
7.8% 5.5% 4.7% 18.0%
255,658 158,124 122,487 536,269
7.8% 4.9% 3.8% 16.5%
Jbeil Kesrwan Metn Baabda Aley Chouf Mount Lebanon Total
3 5 8 6 5 8 35
2.3% 3.9% 6.3% 4.7% 3.9% 6.3% 27.3%
75,582 89,228 170,735 151,589 116,181 181,946 785,261
2.3% 2.7% 5.2% 4.7% 3.6% 5.6% 24.1%
Beirut 1 Beirut 2 Beirut 3 Beirut Total
5 4 10 19
3.9% 3.1% 7.8% 14.8%
92,765 101,787 252,165 446,717
2.8% 3.1% 7.7% 13.7%
Saida Jezzine Zahrany-Saida Villages Nabatieh Marjaeyoun-Hasbaya Tyre Bint Jbeil South Lebanon Total
2 3 3 3 5 4 3 23
1.6% 2.3% 2.3% 2.3% 3.9% 3.1% 2.3% 18.0%
53,859 54,188 92,995 121,912 138,844 153,060 123,396 738,254
1.7% 1.7% 2.9% 3.7% 4.3% 4.7% 3.8% 22.7%
National Total
128
100.0%
3,257,224
100.0%
South Lebanon
Beirut
Mount Lebanon
Seats
Bekaa
Voters
Electoral District
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6. Voting process - There will be approximately 5200 polling stations (qalam) often grouped into polling centers (markaz). The polling stations will accommodate approximately 400 voters; this number can be increased but shall not exceed 800 voters. (Election Law- Article 78) - Each polling station will have six polling officials. The Governor or District Commissioner shall appoint two (2) civil servants to be the head of the polling station and a clerk respectively. The head of a polling station will be assisted by four individuals; two chosen directly by him or her and two chosen among literate voters. (Election Law-Article 79.1) - Voting will take place on Sunday, 7 June 2009 from 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM.
- After reading out the figures stated in each record to those present, the registration committee staff tabulate these results in tables and submit them to the higher registration committee of the electoral district. - The higher registration committee proofreads the documents for mistakes and gets the tables signed by all committee members and announces, in front of the ‘candidates and their agents’, the final results. - The higher registration committee delivers the results to the Muhafez or district commissioner (Qaimqam) who sends these results immediately to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities which announces the final official results. (Article 101)
- Security forces shall maintain order at the entrance of and around the polling centers. (Election lawArticle 84)
- The ballot papers will be kept at the Central Bank of Lebanon for three months, after which the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities will destroy the ballot papers, unless they are subject to review or challenge before the Constitutional Council.
- Voters with an ID card or a valid passport will be allowed to vote after their name is checked on the voter lists.
For more information about the process please refer to the Electoral Law and the Polling and Counting Handbook.
- Voters can bring a piece of paper with the names of their chosen candidates or use a piece of paper provided at the polling station to vote. A list of candidates’ names shall be posted inside the voting booth. (Election law-Article 87)
II. Accreditation process
- The paper is then placed in an officially stamped envelope. - The envelope is dropped in a transparent ballot box. - The voter’s thumb is inked.
7. Counting and announcement of results - Counting is done at the polling station and copies of the results are distributed to party agents and immediately posted on ‘the polling station door’. - The results are then sent to the registration committee, where the head of the registration committee or his/her delegate, shall open it in the presence of party agents. (Article 98)
1. Definitions The following terms and expressions, wherever mentioned in this section, shall indicate the following: a) “The Ministry”: the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM) of the Republic of Lebanon. b) “The Minister”: the Minister of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM) of the Republic of Lebanon. c) “Organization or Institution”: any registered organization, institution or media house, either within or outside Lebanon, expressing interest in observing the electoral process and applying to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM) for such, and accredited or granted observer status by the Ministry. d) “Observer”: a person representing an organization or the media (whether national or international) accredited by the Ministry of Interior
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and Municipalities for the purpose of observing any or all aspects of the electoral process conducted by the Ministry, without interfering in the process. e) “The Law”: Law Number 25/2008 on the Election of the Chamber of Deputies of the Republic of Lebanon. f) “The Decree”: The Decree of the Cabinet of Ministers No. 1517 published on 19 March 2009 regarding international observers accompanying the electoral process. g) “Code of Ethics”: The code of conduct for observers (both national and international) issued by the Minister on 5 May 2009.
2. Accreditation of observer groups 1) The person or persons authorized to represent an observer organization or institution shall submit a written request for accreditation to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. 2) With respect to a domestic organization and in accordance with Article 20 of the Law, the organization must meet the following criteria: a) The organization should be Lebanese, nonpolitical and non-profit, having duly lodged its articles of incorporation three years, at least, before the requested filing date. b) It should neither be connected to any political side or party nor have any candidate running for elections on its administrative board. c) Its statutes should specify, for the last three years at least, objectives on the promotion of democracy, human rights, elections, transparency, or training related to these issues. d) The organization’s members should not be less than 100 at the request filing date pursuant to lists duly submitted to the concerned public authorities. e) Its administrative board shall abide by a Code of Ethics established by the Ministry. The Ministry shall examine the received accreditation requests and verify the fulfillment of the conditions above. It may accept or revoke the request. In case of acceptance, the Ministry shall determine the procedures and mechanisms of accompanying and
observing the elections under decisions issued by the Ministry one month at least before polling day. 3) With respect to an international entity applying for accreditation, and in accordance with the provisions of the Decree, the international entity must meet the following criteria: a) Enjoy a legal personality pursuant to the laws of their countries of registration or pursuant to the international conventions that they established. b) Its statutes shall stipulate objectives that are directly related to democracy, human rights, elections, transparency, or training thereof. c) Should have already dispatched delegations to accompany elections or teams to observe the official electoral process of at least five countries. d) Should not be connected in any way to any Lebanese political party. e) Shall abide, without reservation, by a Code of Ethics or a Memorandum of Understanding established by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities for this purpose. 4) The observer organization shall also submit a completed Individual Credential Application form ( 1) for each potential observer and 2 passport size photos attached to the Form. The full name of the observer should be written on the back of the photos. 5) All individual observer forms should be submitted to the Ministry’s Observer Coordination Unit by the observer/media group representative no later than two weeks before Election Day. Exceptionally the Ministry will review and accept additional individual observer application forms on a case by case basis beyond this deadline. 6) The accreditation badges will be produced within seven (7) working days upon submission. 7) Forms to request accreditation shall be available from the Ministry in Beirut or on the official web pages of the Ministry regarding elections www.elections. gov.lb and shall be free of charge.
(1) Forms can be found under chapter IV Forms
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III. The Code of Ethics (Decision number 635) (2) Republic of Lebanon Ministry of Interior and Municipalities Decision no.635 5 May 2009 The Endorsement of the Code of Ethics Concerning Domestic and International Accompanying of the Elections The Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Pursuant to decree no. 18 dated 11/7/2008 (Formation of the government), Pursuant to the United Nations’ Declaration of Principles on International Election Observation and the Code of Conduct for International Observers issued on 27 October 2005, Pursuant to law no. 25 issued on 8 October 2008 (Parliamentary Elections), and namely articles 20, 67 and 68 thereof, Pursuant to decree no. 1517 of 19 March 2009 (procedures and conditions of elections’ observation by the concerned international entities), namely article 3 (e) thereof, Pursuant to the suggestion of the Director General of Political Affairs and Emigrants, Decides the following: Article 1: All accredited domestic and international entities, observers, state representatives, delegates and their interpreters must adhere to the provisions, principles and standards outlined in this Code of Ethics throughout the observation of the Electoral process. The observation of the electoral process is the systematic collection of information on the electoral process without interference in the process itself. Based on the collected information, election observation groups can issue non-biased and objective evaluations of the electoral process. Article 2: In performance of their duties the observers have the right to:
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- Observe the entire electoral process with unimpeded access to polling stations during voting and counting processes. The said access to polling stations shall be organized and shall not interfere in the course of the electoral process; - Obtain information on appropriate electoral processes from relevant institutions; - Meet with any person, organization, political party representatives, candidates and/or civil society groups in order to obtain information relevant to the goals of their observation mission as long as such meetings are not seen as providing direct support or opposition to any political party or electoral authority; - Enjoy freedom of movement throughout the territory of the Republic of Lebanon; - Interview the voters outside the polling stations to obtain information relevant for their observation missions as long as that information is not related to the voting option or political preference of the voter or disrupting the voting process in any way or by any means; and - Address their concerns or complaints over irregularities observed at the polling stations to the polling station head but not to direct or instruct any polling official, security official, or any other official of the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and the Government of the Republic of Lebanon nor to direct or instruct any voter, candidate, agent or other observer.
at all times during the observation process; - Refrain from obstructing or interfering in the electoral processes; Maintain accuracy of observations and professionalism in drawing conclusions; Display accreditation documentation and provide appropriate identification when required from administration and security officials without any objection; - Refrain from violating the security of the electoral process; and - Show permanent commitment to this code of ethics. - Maintain commitment to the highest degrees of cooperation and communication with the Observers Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. Article 4: All observers must read and understand this Code of Ethics and must sign a pledge of commitment thereto. Every entity concerned with accompanying
- Respect the sovereignty of the Republic of Lebanon, human rights and fundamental freedoms of voters; - Respect the applicable Laws of the Republic of Lebanon, including the ones related to the electoral process;
(2) Unofficial translation
The present decree shall be announced to concerned parties. Beirut, 5 May 2009 Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ziyad Baroud C.C: - Directorate General of Political Affairs and Emigrants - Observers Coordination Unit at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities - The Joint Administrative Directorate - Accredited Observation and Accompanying Entities.
Pledge of Commitment to the Code of Ethics issued pursuant to decision no.635, on May 5, 2009. I, the undersigned, ------------------------------------------------------------From (title of the entity to which he/she belongs) -----------------------------------------------------------Do hereby certify that I have received a copy of the Code of Ethics for accompanying the electoral process and I do pledge to abide by all of the provisions thereof.
- Refrain from interfering in the political affairs; - Maintain strict political and religious impartiality
Article 5:
Republic of Lebanon Ministry of Interior and Municipalities
Article 3: In performance of their duties the observers are obliged to:
or observing the electoral process shall pledge to have this pledge individually signed by its observers. A sample of the pledge form is enclosed. Observers and their entities shall be aware that the accreditation to accompany the electoral process given to any international organization or accredited observer may be removed in the case of any violation of the provisions of this Code of Ethics.
Signature: Date:
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IV. Forms A) National Observer Groups and Media - Individual Credential Application Form
___________________________________ :
/
_________________________________________________ : _______________________________________________ :
__________________________________________ : _____________________________________________ :
__________________________________ : ______________________________________________ : _____________________________________________ : ____________________________________________ : ______________________________________________ :
_______________________________________________ _____________________________________ (
___________________
__________________________
)
B) International Observer Groups and Media - Individual Credential Application Form
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V. Electoral Law number 25/2008 (3) REPUBLIC OF LEBANON LAW NO. 25 PARLIAMENTARY ELECTIONS LAW CHAPTER ONE The Electoral System, Number of Deputies and Electoral Districts Article 1 The parliament shall be made up of 128 deputies elected by a majority system for a mandate of four years. The voting shall be made universal, by secret ballot and on one level. Article 2 A- The number of parliamentary seats and their distribution among confessions shall be determined according to electoral districts and pursuant to the table annexed to this law. The nomination of candidates shall also follow the electoral districts. The annex is an integral part of the present law. B- All voters of a certain electoral district, and from different confessions, shall vote for the candidates of their district.
CHAPTER TWO Voters and Candidates Article 3 Every Lebanese individual who has attained the legal age stipulated in the constitution, whether or not resident on Lebanese territory, shall be entitled to vote. Article 4 The following shall be prevented from voting: 1- Persons deprived by legal sentence of their civil rights 2- Persons convicted to be permanently disqualified from public service at any grade or position 3- Persons disqualified from their grades or public service temporarily, until the end of the disqualification period
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4- Persons convicted of a felony 5- Persons convicted of one of the following major offences: burglary, fraud, issuing of uncovered checks, breach of trust, misappropriation of funds, bribery, perjury, rape, intimidation, falsification, forgery, false testimony, immoral crimes as stated in the seventh chapter of the penal code, and crimes related to the planting, production and/or trade in illicit drugs 6- Persons interdicted by court order until the end of the interdiction period 7- Persons declared fraudulently bankrupt or those sentenced to sanctions stated in Articles 689 to 698 of the Penal Code 8- Persons convicted and sentenced to sanctions stated in Articles 329 to 334 of the penal code The aforementioned persons may not vote until after rehabilitation. Article 5 Naturalized Lebanese individuals may not vote before ten years after the naturalization decree is issued. This provision does not involve the foreign woman who becomes Lebanese by marrying a Lebanese citizen. (Clause added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) Article 6 Non-retired military personnel of various ranks or those considered as such, whether in the army, Internal Security Forces, Public Security, State Security, or Customs Police may not vote. Article 7 Every Lebanese who has completed the age of twenty five years may run for parliamentary elections. Article 8 The only persons allowed to run for parliamentary elections are Lebanese citizens registered in the voters’ rolls, enjoying their civil and political rights and literate. Naturalized persons may not run for elections until ten years after their naturalization. Article 9 Military personnel of various ranks, whether in the army, State Security, Internal Security Forces, Public Security or Customs Police and those considered (3) Unofficial translation
as such may not run for parliamentary elections; however, they may run as candidates if they are sent into retirement or if their resignation has been accepted six months before the elections’ date. Article 10 1- The below mentioned persons may not run as candidates while still exercising their jobs and within the periods that follow their end of service or their resignation acceptance date: a-Judges of all degrees and ranks, whether in the legal, administrative, financial, religious, confessional or spiritual judiciary, unless they submit their resignation and effectively stop the practice of their function pursuant to the legal judiciary law provisions. b- Public employees of the first and second ranks, unless they submit their resignation and effectively stop the practice of their functions six months at least before the expiry of the parliament’s mandate; c- Full-time board chairpersons and members of public institutions and bodies, mixed economy companies (semi-public), public capital companies, as well as public utility institutions and their Directors General, unless they present their resignation and effectively stop the practice of their functions six months at least before the expiry of the parliament’s mandate. d- Presidents or vice-presidents of municipal councils in Muhafazats and district centers and municipal unions, unless they submit their resignation and effectively stop the practice of their functions two years at least before the expiry of the parliament’s mandate; and six months at least before that date for the rest of Municipal Councils’ presidents and vice-presidents. 2- Regardless of any other reference, a resignation based on the above mentioned reasons shall be deemed accepted as soon as it is submitted and the work effectively stopped. 3- The faculty, full timers and contractual members of the Lebanese University shall be exempted from the provisions of the present article.
CHAPTER THREE Supervising the Election Campaign Article 11 A commission called “The Supervisory Commission on the Electoral Campaign” (hereinafter referred to as the “Commission”) shall be created. It shall be entrusted with the practice of functions stated in the present law and linked to the Minister of Interior and Municipalities (hereafter called the “Minister”). The Minister supervises its work, decides its premises and attends its meetings whenever he wishes to. He shall chair the said meetings without participating in the voting. Article 12 The Commission shall be made up of ten members as follows: - A presiding judge of the Court of Cassation, honorably discharged and selected from a list of three names nominated by the Higher Judicial Council (as President) - A presiding judge from the State Council, honorably discharged and selected from a list of three names nominated by the State Council bureau (as VicePresident) - A presiding judge from the National Audit Office, honorably discharged and selected from a list of three names nominated by the National Audit Office (as member) - A former President of the Bar Association (Barrister), selected from a list of three former Barristers nominated by the board of Beirut Bar Association (as member) - A former President of the Bar Association (Barrister), selected from a list of three former Barristers nominated by the board of Tripoli Bar Association (as member) - Two media and advertising experts selected from 6 names nominated by the National Media Council (as two members) - Three senior experts in election-related disciplines (including elections management, funding and promotion). The Commission members shall be appointed by virtue of a decree issued by the Council of Ministers upon the suggestion of the Minister, within a maximum period of two months as of the present law’s issue date.
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The President of the Commission may delegate some of his powers to one or more members. Article 13 The term of office of the Commission members shall start as soon as their appointment decree is issued upon the decision of the Council of Ministers, and shall end six months after the universal parliamentary elections. If any member’s position becomes vacant for whatever reason, the Commission shall announce the vacancy. The President shall notify the Minister, within one week, in order to take the appropriate measures and appoint a substitute member. The substitute member shall be appointed within a maximum of 15 days as of notification, in the same way adopted when the original member was appointed, and for the remaining period of the original member’s term of office. Article 14 The Commission shall, within 15 days after formation, draw up its bylaws that should comprise rules and procedures governing its work for the implementation of the present law. The Minister shall issue a decision approving the said bylaws within one week after receiving them. Article 15 No Commission member shall, at the same time, hold the office of Prime Minister or Minister, Head or Member of Parliament, Board President or Member in any public institution, or Head of any municipal council. In addition, a Commission member shall not be entitled to run for parliamentary, municipal or mayoral elections or fill any public, political or administrative position before the lapse of one whole year as of the expiry of his term of office. Article 16 The Commission president and members may not, during their term of office, carry out any task or activity that is incompatible with the functions and impartiality of the Commission. During their work within the Commission, the president and members of the commission shall abstain from giving any lectures or participating in any seminar related to elections. They shall also abstain from issuing any declaration of any type. The Commission shall, pursuant to the provisions of
its bylaws, decide to terminate the term of office of a member in case he breaches the aforementioned obligations, provided that the Commission’s decision is approved by the Minister. Article 17 None of the members of the Commission shall be subject during their term of office and without the Commission’s authorization, to any criminal action, criminal measure or arrest for acts related to their work within the Commission. No decision of provisional detention shall be taken against any of the Commission members for acts not related to their work within the Commission, except for flagrant offences (flagrante delicto). The Minister of Justice shall submit a request for commencing proceedings or appropriate legal measures, pursuant to a note from Attorney General of the Court of Cassation including the nature, place and time of the act, and relevant summary of evidence supporting such proceedings and penal measures. The request for commencing procedures shall be submitted to the Minister. The Commission shall be convened within one week to consider the request and take the relevant decision after listening to the concerned Commission Member who shall not take part in the vote. The Commission renders its decision based on an absolute majority system of voting within a period of one week and sends it to the Minister for approval. Article 18 The Commission President and Members shall receive a monthly flat remuneration determined by a decree from the Council of Ministers upon the Minister’s suggestion. Article 19 The Commission shall be in charge of the following tasks and prerogatives: 1-Receive the requests of private print and audio visual media wishing to participate in paid electoral advertising pursuant to the provisions of this law. 2- Supervise the compliance of rolls, candidates, and mass media of any form whatsoever, with the rules and regulations governing electoral competition pursuant to the provisions of this law. 3- Supervise electoral spending pursuant to the
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provisions of this law. 4- Receive and audit the financial statements of electoral campaigns of lists and candidates within one month after the polling day. 5- Draw up a report on the Commission’s activities and forward it to the Minister who shall submit it to the President of the Republic, Prime Minister and Speaker of the Parliament. The report shall be published in the official gazette. Article 20 Competent civil society organizations may accompany and observe the elections provided that they fulfill the following conditions: - The organization should be Lebanese, non-political and non-profit, having duly lodged its articles of incorporation three years, at least, before the request filing date. - It should neither be connected to any political side or party nor have any candidate running for elections in its administrative board. - Its statutes should specify, for the last three years at least, objectives on the promotion of democracy, human rights, elections, transparency, or training related to these issues. - The organization’s members should not be less than 100 at the request filing date pursuant to lists duly submitted to the concerned public authorities. - Its administrative board shall abide by a Code of Ethics established by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities hereafter called “Ministry”. - The Ministry shall examine the received accreditation requests and verify the fulfillment of the conditions above. It may accept or revoke the request. In case of acceptance, the Ministry shall determine the procedures and mechanisms of accompanying and observing the elections under decisions issued by the Ministry one month at least before polling day. (Amended by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25- Previous text was: the Commission shall determine the procedures and mechanisms…) The Ministry shall be in charge of studying the requests of election-related international organizations wishing to participate in accompanying the electoral process pursuant to conditions specified by the Ministry in due time. Article 21 The Commission’s decisions are taken on the basis
of an absolute majority of members whom legally constitute it. The decisions may be challenged before the Council of State within three days of notification or publication. The Council of State shall settle the challenge within three days of its submission. Article 22 The Commission may issue a decision to delegate some of its powers to one or many of its members. It may also form committees to carry out specific election-related tasks. Article 23 The Commission enjoys an administrative workforce. It may conclude contracts with experts who it deems qualified to assist it in practicing its functions. The Commission may also request to be temporarily seconded by an additional number of employees working in public departments and institutions. This process shall be executed pursuant to the decision of the competent Minister, taken upon the request of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities. The decision determines the period during which those employees shall remain in the commission. Based on the Minister’s suggestion, special allocations shall be granted to the Commission’s budget.
CHAPTER FOUR Preparatory Electoral Works and Voters’ Rolls Article 24 Registration on the voters’ rolls shall be mandatory; no one shall be allowed to be registered on more than one roll. Article 25 A voters’ roll shall be permanent. However, they shall be revised periodically in accordance with the provisions of the present law. Article 26 The General Directorate of Personal Status shall prepare, for each electoral district, automated voters’ rolls including the voters’ names according to the personal status records. The said rolls shall include the names of all voters registered in the electoral district from at least one year as of the date of revision of the voters’ rolls, i.e. as of the 5th of
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December of every year. Article 27 Voters’ rolls must necessarily include: the voter’s full name and mother’s name, register number as per the personal status records, sex, date of birth and confession. A column shall be reserved on each roll for any occurring modifications, if any, to the records (rectification or replacement), with mention of the relevant legal evidence thereof. Voters who are 100 years old and above must automatically be crossed off the voter rolls. However, this crossing-off shall not prevent their “re-registration” at the request of the concerned person, submitted to the Ministry within one month of publication of the voters’ rolls. Article 28 The Directorate-General of Personal Status shall annually insert the additions and crossings-off to the voters’ rolls. Article 29 Heads of regional registration offices and departments shall annually submit to the Directorate-General of Personal Status, between December 5 and January 5, primary rolls including (1) the names of registered persons legally eligible for registration in the voters’ rolls, (2) the names of those who are expected to become eligible by the closing date of voters’ rolls, (3) the names of persons omitted or deceased or crossed off the personal status records for any reason whatsoever. Article 30 The Office of the Police Record in each Muhafazat shall annually submit to the Directorate General of Personal Status, between December 5 and January 5, the names of persons convicted of crimes that deprive them of exercising their right to vote according to the provisions of the present law. Article 31 Judicial Courts shall annually submit to the Directorate General of Personal Status, between December 5 and January 5, a list of final verdicts declaring fraudulent bankruptcy or interdiction. Article 32 The Directorate-General of Personal Status shall edit the voters’ rolls according to the documents sent
to it as mentioned in previous articles, upon review them before February 1st of each year. Each roll shall include a special space reserved to note down the reasons for editing and operations of record transfer from one roll to another. In the event of transfer, inclusion of the place of record, the register number and the crossing-off date is mandatory. In the implementation of the present law, no voluntary transfer of the place of record occurring within the year preceding the re-editing of the voters’ rolls shall not be taken into consideration. Transfer due to marriage shall not be considered voluntary. Thus, a wife whose record was transferred by marriage during the said year shall be entitled to vote. Article 33 Before the 10th of February of each year, the Directorate-General of Personal Status shall send copies of the primary voter rolls to municipalities, mukhtars, Muhafazat, cada centers, and Lebanese embassies and consulates abroad, to publish and circulate them in order to facilitate the final editing. Addressees should receive these rolls before the 10th of February at the latest in order to call the voters to check them and proceed with their editing according to available documentary evidence. Article 34 The Ministry shall announce in the media (print and audio-visual), by the deadline specified in the previous article, that the voters’ rolls are ready, and shall call voters to check them and take copies thereof. For the same purpose, the Ministry shall, within the same deadline, publish the primary voters’ rolls on its Website and release CDs thereof. Any person may have copies for a price determined by the Ministry. Article 35 Any interested individual may, as of February 10th of each year, submit to the competent registration committee mentioned in the present law, a request for the correction of any mistake regarding him/her on the voters’ rolls, such as registration omission, distortion of his/her name due to negligence, material mistake or any other reason. The said request shall be submitted to the registration committee within a period that ends by March 10 of the same year, along with supporting evidence and documents. No fee shall be required for the request.
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Article 36 Each voter, registered in any voter roll, shall have the right to ask the competent registration committee to cross off or add any name that has been illegally registered or unregistered on the roll. The Governor (Muhafez), district commissioner (Qaimaqam) and mayor (Mukhtar), each within their competence, may exercise this right, before the 10th of March of every year. Article 37 The Directorate General of Personal Status shall consider, during the preparation of the final voters’ rolls, the editing and record transfer operations provided for in the present law. Voters’ rolls shall be closed on March 30 of each year and remain in force until March 30 of the following year. The Minister of Interior and Municipalities shall send a copy of the final voters’ rolls he received from the Directorate General of Personal Status to the Directorate General of Political Affairs and Refugees to be adopted in any elections held between March 30th of the current year and March 30th of the subsequent year. (Clause added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25). Article 38 Each electoral district shall have one or more registration committees. Each registration committee shall be made up of an active judge (as president), one of the heads or members of the municipal councils in the electoral district and one employee from the Directorate General of Personal Status (as two members). One or more employees from the Directorate General of Personal Status shall be annexed to each registration committee by decision of the Minister.
Article 39 The registration committee shall: 1- Examine and make decisions on the requests for voters’ rolls rectification as per the provisions of the present law, and forward them to the concerned persons and the Directorate General of Personal Status. Such decisions are appealable before the
competent higher registration committee mentioned in the present law within five days of notification by means of a duty-free petition. The appellant shall be exempted from retaining a lawyer. 2- Receive the elections’ results upon the closing of polling stations, revise the minutes and documents, and take appropriate decisions in this regard. Count and tabulate the results of each candidate and submit them to the presidents of competent higher registration committees. Article 40 The Ministry shall appoint a higher registration committee for each electoral district. Each higher registration committee shall comprise a consultant from the Court of Cassation or a presiding judge of the Court of Appeal (as president), an active judge and an inspector from the Central Inspection bureau (as two members), and the head of the registration office or any head of department or employee from the Directorate General of Personal Status (as reporter). Article 41 The presidents and members of each higher registration committee shall be appointed by virtue of decrees issued upon the suggestions of the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Interior and Municipalities. Article 42 The higher registration committee shall receive the records of results submitted by all the registration committees of the electoral district, along with related documents and attached tables of results. The higher registration committee shall revise the said documents, correct data and counting mistakes, if any, and correct the results accordingly. Article 43 Parliamentary elections shall be held on one day for all electoral districts within the sixty days preceding the expiry of the Parliament’s mandate. However, in case the Parliament is dissolved, elections shall then be held within three months after the publication of the dissolution decree. Article 44 Voters shall be called to vote by virtue of a decree. A period of ninety days at least shall lapse between the publication of this decree and Election Day.
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Article 45 If a parliamentary seat becomes vacant due to death, resignation, deputyship annulment, or any other reason, elections shall be held to fill the vacant seat within two months of the vacancy date. The seat is deemed vacant as of the date of death or date of publication of the Constitutional Council’s decision to annul a deputyship in the official gazette. If vacancy occurs within the last six months of the Parliament’s mandate, the vacant seat shall not be filled. By-elections shall be held at the level of the electoral district to which the vacant seat belongs. Only resident voters shall take part in by-elections. Polling stations shall be determined within this district by the Ministry. The term of office of a candidate winning by-elections may not exceed the term of office of the replaced deputy. Contrary to the provisions of articles 9 and 10 of the present law, the persons mentioned in the said articles shall be entitled to run for elections if they resign and definitely stop the practice of their functions within a period of 15 days as of the issue of the elections’ writ decree. Article 46 Any individual who meets the conditions of membership in the parliament may run as a candidate in any district. However, no one may run for elections in more than one electoral district at the same time. Article 47 1- Each candidate running for parliamentary elections shall submit to the Ministry a notarized request signed by himself, pursuant to a specimen including the following data: - The full name of the candidate - The seat and the district he/she would be running for 2- The following documents shall be attached to the request: - A police record less than one-month old - Two passport photos - A financial receipt from the cashier’s office proving that he has paid the candidacy fees amounting to 2 million Lebanese pounds and the election deposit amounting to six million
Lebanese pounds - A bank certificate confirming the opening of an electoral campaign account as stipulated in the present law. Article 48 Each winning candidate may recover the deposit paid. Losing candidates may not recover the said deposit unless they receive at least 20% of the legally counted votes within the electoral district. Article 49 1- Candidacy filing shall be closed sixty days before polling day. 2- The candidate must submit to the Ministry his candidacy application along with all required documents no later than the candidacy closing date. 3- The Ministry shall give the candidate a provisional proof of payment acknowledging receipt of the application and related documents. 4- The Ministry shall decide on the candidacy applications within five days of receipt. In case the candidacy is accepted, it shall give the candidate a final receipt for his application registration. In case of refusal, it shall inform the candidate about the reasons thereof. 5- If the Ministry remains silent on the candidate application for more than five days after registration thereof, the application shall be deemed approved and the Ministry shall give the candidate the final receipt for his application registration. 6- In case the Ministry rejects the candidate’s application, he may, within five days of notification of the express rejection, file a simple duty-free petition to the State Council. This council shall then deliberate and decide on his petition within three days of receipt. The decision rendered in this regard shall be final and irrevocable. Article 50 If the deadline for candidacy filing expires and no candidate has registered for a particular seat, this deadline shall be automatically extended by seven days. If the deadline for candidacy filing expires and only one candidate has registered for a given seat, this candidate shall be deemed the uncontested winner. The Ministry shall immediately send to the president of parliament a letter informing him thereof.
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Article 51 Candidacy applications not complying with the previous articles shall be considered null. The same applies to the applications filed at the same date by the same candidate in more than one district. However, if these applications bear different dates, only the last one shall be taken into consideration and all previous applications shall be deemed null. Article 52 A candidate may not drop out except on the basis of a notarized legal authorization filed with the Ministry forty-five days at least before the polling day. In this case, he may recover half of the deposit paid. If the cancellation of candidacy hinders the election of the number of deputies needed within the district, new candidacies may be accepted for the concerned district only if submitted within a period of seven days as of the date of cancellation. Article 53 After closing the candidacy filing, the Ministry shall announce the names of the accepted candidates and immediately send them to the Governors and District Commissioners and publish them where necessary.
CHAPTER FIVE Electoral Funding and Spending Article 54 The Electoral campaign funding and candidate spending during the electoral campaign which starts on the date of application for candidacy and ends upon closing the ballot boxes, shall be governed by the provisions of the present law. Article 55 1- Each candidate must open an account under the name “Electoral Campaign Account” with an operating bank in Lebanon. He shall attach to the candidacy application a certificate from the said bank proving the existence of such an account and mentioning the account number and owner’s name. 2- The Electoral Campaign Account shall not be subject to bank secrecy. The candidate is automatically considered as waiving the right to such secrecy upon the account opening. 3- All electoral contributions and expenses shall be exclusively made through this account during the
period of the electoral campaign. 4- Every candidate shall determine the procedures that he/she follows for receiving funds and contributions meant to fund the electoral campaign and the authority to pay electoral expenses, in conformity with the provision of the present law. No amount exceeding 1 million LBP shall be received or paid unless by check. 6- Each candidate shall, upon filing the candidacy application, declare the name of his financial auditor, under a notarized written letter submitted to the Commission. Article 56 1- The candidate may use his own money to fund his electoral campaign. The money of the spouse or any of the ascendants and descendents shall also be considered as the candidate’s own money. All expenses contracted or paid by the candidate from his own money for his electoral campaign shall be subject to an expenditure ceiling. 2- Only Lebanese natural or legal persons may offer contributions to a candidate’s electoral campaign. 3- A candidate or list shall be strictly prohibited from accepting or receiving, whether directly or indirectly, contributions or aid from foreign states or from a non-Lebanese natural or legal person. (Correction of typing mistake in the Arabic version by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) 4- Any grant, donation, cash or in-kind gift or subscription offered to the candidate, shall be considered a contribution to the electoral campaign funding. 5- The services provided for free by volunteers shall not be considered as contributions as per this law. 6- The total amount of all contributions received by a candidate for his electoral campaign shall not exceed the electoral expenditure ceiling. Article 57 The maximum limit of funds that each candidate may spend on his electoral campaign shall be determined as follows: - A fixed flat amount equivalent to one hundred and fifty million Lebanese pounds - A variable part depending on the number of voters within his electoral district and determined by virtue of a decree issued by the Council of Ministers upon the suggestion of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities.
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Article 58 The aggregate expenses incurred by the candidate and those paid in their favor or with their express or tacit consent by other persons, shall be considered electoral expenditure under the present law. The said expenditure shall be directly related to the electoral campaign. It shall include among others: 1- Rental of electoral offices and all related charges. 2- Organization of rallies, festivals, public meetings and election-related banquets. 3- Preparation, publication and distribution of advertising and promotional material such as books, booklets, bulletins, publications, and letters sent by regular or electronic mail. 4- Design, printing, distribution and posting of pictures, posters and billboards. 5- Compensation paid to party agents and persons involved in the electoral campaign. 6- Transportation fees of electoral campaign staff and voters. 7- Electoral promotion costs and any other costs paid to any radio, TV, newspaper, magazine or any other publication used for electoral campaigning. Article 59 Financial donations including service provision or payment of money to voters such as (inter alia) inkind and cash donations and support to individuals, charity, social, cultural, family, religious organizations or other, or sports clubs and all non-public institutions shall be prohibited during the campaign period. The above-mentioned donations shall not be prohibited if they are granted by candidates or institutions owned or run by candidates who have been doing so on a regular basis for not less than three years prior to the commencement of the electoral campaign. Article 60 1- The Commission shall form one committee or more to undertake, independently from any other authority, the supervision of candidates’ compliance with the provisions concerning the opening of the electoral campaign bank account, as well as financial support and contributions and expenditure during the electoral campaign. 2- The Commission may at any time, check the “electoral campaign account” of each candidate and request any information or documents or clarifications.
3- The committee shall submit to the Commission a report on the audit and supervision results and the candidates’ compliance with legal provisions concerning funding and spending. Article 61 1- After the elections, each candidate must draw up an exhaustive statement of account following the principles of accounting and including, in detail the total received contributions with their sources and dates, and the total of expenses paid or to be paid with their nature and dates, during the electoral period. 2- This statement should be submitted to the Commission within one month after the polling day along with supporting documents related to all account items, such as receipts and disbursement notes, in addition to an exhaustive bank statement of the electoral account showing all transactions made through this account since its opening until the submission of the said statement. 3- There shall be attached to the statement of account a declaration signed by each candidate whether list candidate or independent candidate and notarized in order to be accurately dated. The candidate declares thereby, under his full responsibility, that the attached statement of account is correct, exhaustive and includes all received contributions and paid or to be paid expenses pertaining to the electoral campaign. He shall also expressly declare that there are no other cash or in-kind expenses or funds paid in cash or through other bank accounts or third parties. Article 62 1- Whoever intentionally breaches any of the provisions of this chapter shall be sentenced to 6 months imprisonment at most and to a fine ranging between 50 million LBP and 100 million LBP, or to one of the said sentences, with no prejudice to sanctions of penal crimes as per the law. 2- When the challenge is submitted, the commission’s report and the candidate’s exhaustive statement of account shall be sent to the Constitutional Council. The said documents shall be attached to the candidate’s election challenge file.
CHAPTER SIX Electoral Media and Advertising
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Article 63 In the implementation of the present law, the hereunder terms, whether used in their singular or plural form, shall have the following meaning: Electoral media: Any media material such as news, analyses, statements, interviews, debates, discussions, reports, press conferences and meetings, directly or indirectly related to elections and broadcasted for free, in the usual or special programs of a media company. Electoral promotion: Any material related to the candidates’ programs, electoral campaigns and political and electoral positions, recorded/filmed inside or outside the media company studios, and through which the candidate wishes to address the voters by broadcasting it, at their own expense, in the company’s programs dedicated for this purpose, for a specific price. Electoral advertising: Any material promoting the election of a certain candidate broadcasted for a specific price during the commercial breaks of the media company. Electoral material: It includes the electoral media, promotion and advertising. Article 64 Each list or candidate shall undertake the organization of various legal activities to explain their electoral program using the appropriate way and means, with no prejudice to the rules and regulations. Article 65 During the electoral campaign period determined in this law, the electoral material used in the audio visual and print media starting the date of application for candidacy until the closing of ballot boxes, shall be governed by the provisions of the present chapter Article 66 A) Paid electoral promotion and advertising in both private and public audio-visual and print media shall be authorized pursuant to the following provisions: 1- The private and public media wishing to take part in electoral advertising or promotion shall submit to the Commission, at least ten days before the beginning of the electoral campaign, a declaration expressing its wish to participate,
along with a price list and information on the “spaces” it intends to dedicate to electoral advertising and promotion. 2- The media shall comply with their price list and “space” allocation information submitted. They shall not reject any electoral advertising requested by a candidate adhering to the mentioned prices. 3- Media companies failing to submit their declaration within the set deadline shall be banned from undertaking any electoral promotion or advertising activity during the whole electoral campaign period. 4- The audio-visual media shall expressly indicate when broadcasting electoral ads that they are paid ads as they shall mention the advertising party. The media shall be banned from accepting any ads for free or against a rate that is different from the price list submitted. 5- The candidate or its legal representative shall submit a copy print/tape of the electoral promotion or advertisement, along with a written booking request, to the Commission and media companies to broadcast it. This shall be done three days at least before the first broadcast date. 7- Every media company shall present a weekly report to the Commission, including an account of all electoral ads and promotions broadcasted during the past week with the broadcasting time and rates received. 8- None of the candidates may disburse more than 50% of their total promotion and advertising spending to one Media Company, be it a radio station, TV channel, or printed media. B- Audio visual and print media wishing to cover the voting and vote count procedures shall obtain written authorization for this purpose from the Commission, pursuant to the provisions of the present law. Article 67 The public media shall remain impartial in all phases of the electoral process. They (including body and staff) may not carry out any activity that might be considered in favor of any candidate or list at the expense of another candidate or list. Article 68 1- All media shall observe the freedom of expression of opinions and trends of thought in the private
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audio-visual media during the electoral campaign so that fairness, balance, and impartiality among candidates and lists will be guaranteed. 2- Clause 1 above shall apply to all electoral media programs and public and political news programs including news bulletins, political talk shows, interviews, reports, meetings, discussions, round tables and live electoral events. 3- None of the private audio visual media shall declare its support for or encouragement to any candidate or list, in order to maintain the principle of independence. The mentioned media shall, during the electoral campaign, clearly distinguish between facts and realities on one hand and opinions and comments on the other hand, in all their news bulletins. 4- During the electoral campaign, the audio-visual media, lists and candidates shall abide by the following obligations: - Refrain from any act of libel, slander and defamation towards any list or candidate. - Refrain from broadcasting anything that might trigger religious/confessional/ethnic sensitivities or acts of violence or riots, or support for terrorism, crimes, or sabotage. - Refrain from broadcasting anything that might be a means of pressure, intimidation, mistrust, allusion to or promise of material or in-kind benefits. - Refrain from distorting, screening, falsifying, omitting, or misrepresenting information. 5- The Commission shall ensure the balance in media access during the electoral campaigning period among competing lists and candidates by binding media companies to host all competitors-list representatives or individual candidates--under the same conditions in terms of timing, duration and program types. Article 69 All audio-visual media shall reserve, during the electoral campaign, at least three hours weekly for broadcasting election-related educational programs produced by the Ministry of Information, and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, in coordination with the concerned media.
Article 70 1- The competent local authority shall, under the supervision of the administrative authority in each city or village, designate appropriate billposting places for electoral ads and posters during the whole electoral campaign period. 2- No ad or poster for candidates shall be posted outside the places reserved for this purpose. In addition, any candidate shall be prohibited from posting an ad or a poster in places reserved for others. 3- The competent local authority shall allocate the specified places as per Clause 1 of this article among lists and candidates according to the order in which candidacy applications where filed or announcement of lists was made. (“or announcement of lists” added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) Local authorities and companies exploiting the ads places shall collaborate with the Commission for the sound implementation of these provisions. 4- No candidate or list may waive his/its electoral ads places in favor of another candidate or list. Article 71 1- Public utilities, governmental institutions, public institutions, private or public universities, faculties, institutes and schools, and houses of worship may not be used for electoral events and rallies or for posting pictures or for electoral promotion purposes. 2- Civil servants and employees of public institutions, municipalities, and municipal unions may not use their powers in favor of any candidate or list. Article 72 On election day, the distribution of ballot papers, flyers, or any other documents in favor of or against a candidate shall be banned at polling center entrances or any other place located in the direct vicinity of the center, at the risk of confiscation without prejudice to all other sentences stated herein. Article 73 Twenty-four hours before polling day until the closing of ballot boxes, all private and public audio-visual media shall be prohibited from broadcasting any live electoral advertisement, promotion, or call, except for voices/scenes that cannot be avoided while covering the electoral operation. On Election Day, coverage shall be limited to the
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electoral activity happenings. Article 74 1- The Commission shall specify the conditions of opinion polls operations performed during the electoral campaign and the procedure to follow in order to ensure reliable, fair and impartial polls. 2- The Commission shall specify the terms and conditions of publication, broadcasting, and distribution of opinion polls results during the electoral campaign. It shall have all powers to verify the compliance of opinion polls with rules and regulations and with the Commission’s decision. It shall be entitled to take all necessary measures in order to stop or remedy violations against audiovisual media, opinion polls institutions, or any third party. 3- The party conducting the poll shall be responsible for mentioning in the announcement, publication, broadcasting, or distribution of the opinion poll results the following information: - Name of the entity conducting the opinion poll - Name of the entity asking for and paying the cost of the opinion poll - Dates for conducting the in the field opinion poll - Size, mode of selection and distribution of the polled sample - Polling technique - The verbatim asked questions - Limits of results’ interpretation and margin of error when need be 4- Ten days before the polling day and until the closing of all ballot boxes, no opinion polls or comments thereon shall be published, broadcasted or distributed in any way whatsoever. Article 75 1- The Commission shall verify the adherence of print and audio-visual media in Lebanon to the electoral promotion provisions mentioned herein. 2- The Commission shall, at its own discretion, assess whether or not, and to what extent, the access of candidates to foreign satellite media should be part of the advertising and media spaces allocated by the Commission to each list or candidate. 3- The Commission shall immediately consider any complaint filed by a wronged list or candidate.
Decisions as to filing such complaint in the competent Court of Publications shall be taken within 24 hours of receipt. Article 76 Without prejudice to the criminal code, press law, and audio-visual media law, the Commission may initiate any of the following procedures against any printed or audio visual media for violating the provisions of this chapter on electoral media and advertising: A - Address a warning to the defaulting media and compel it to broadcast an excuse or enable the wronged candidate to exercise the Right to an Answer. B- Refer the defaulting media to the competent Court of Publications who shall take one of the measures hereunder: - Impose a financial fine on the defaulting media ranging between 50 and 100 million Lebanese pounds. - Partially suspend the work of the defaulting media for a maximum of three days. This measure shall include suspending all political and news programs, bulletins, interviews and fora. - If the violation recurs, totally suspend the work of the defaulting media and totally suspend all of its programs for a maximum of three days. The Public Prosecution shall sue the defaulting media before the Court of Publications directly or upon a request filed by the wronged party. The defaulting media shall submit a brief to the court within 24 hours of notification. The Court of Publications shall render its judgment within a maximum of 24 hours. The Public Prosecution and the accused party may appeal the decision before the Court of Appeal within 24 hours starting from the judgment declaration date for the Public Prosecution, and from the notification date for the defaulting media. The appeal shall not stop the execution of the judgment unless the Court of Cassation decides to stop the said execution within 24 hours after filing the challenge. Article 77 Media companies shall broadcast and publish the corrections and feedback of candidates within a period of 24 hours after broadcasting/publication of
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the criticized news. The media shall refuse to broadcast/publish any feedback that violates the laws.
CHAPTER SEVEN The Voting Operation Article 78 Deputies are elected in polling stations whose locations shall be made clearly known. The electoral district shall be divided, by the Minister’s decision, into a number of polling centers (markaz) including polling stations (qalam). Each village incorporating 100 to 400 registered voters shall be entitled to one polling station. The number may increase to more than 400 voters per station if deemed necessary for the smooth running of the electoral process; however it shall not exceed 800. The number of polling stations shall not be more than 20 in one polling center. The Minister’s decision regarding the distribution of polling stations shall be published in the official gazette and on the Ministry’s website 30 days at least before polling day. Such a distribution may not be modified during the week preceding the polling day unless for serious reasons and under justified decision. Article 79 1- The Governor or District Commissioner, each according to his term of office, shall appoint, from the civil servants, one head and one clerk or more for each polling station. He shall then appoint one of the latter as polling center officer and another one as assistant to supervise the vote count. These appointments are made at least one month before polling day. However, the appointed civil servants shall not be informed of their assignment location until three days before the polling day. The head of the polling station shall be assisted by four assistants: two of his choice and another two chosen from among the literate voters present at the opening of the polling station. The Governor or District Commissioner may, if necessary, appoint reserve assistants if need be. 2- Only the head of the polling station shall have the
authority to keep order inside the polling station. No security forces are allowed to stay inside the station without his request. They may intervene temporarily and for the sole reason of guaranteeing the sound running of the electoral process. 3- The polling station head shall not, in any case, prevent the candidates and party agents and accredited observers from exercising their right of supervising electoral activities. He may not evict any party agent unless he/she causes disorder in spite of warnings and recording them in the minutes. If the polling station head takes such a measure, he shall make out a record in this regard stating the facts, the reasons and the time thereof. He shall then sign it with all the present party agents and immediately submit it to the competent registration committee. 4- An election worker, who without any legal grounds, fails to appear in the polling station where he is appointed as head or clerk, shall be jailed for one month or shall pay a one-million LBP fine. In this case, only the medical reports issued by the Public Medical Committee shall be taken into consideration. The polling station head or clerk, who fails to perform his obligations or follow the instructions stipulated in the present law, shall be jailed for a period ranging from three months to three years or shall pay a fine of one million to three million LBP. In this case, and contrary to the provisions of article 61 of the Civil Servants Law, issued by virtue of decree 112/59 on June 12, 1959, the Public Right lawsuit shall be brought by the candidate’s personal allegation or upon the Public Prosecution’s allegation or upon the request of the concerned registration committee head. The lawsuit does not need the approval of the administration to which the civil servant is affiliated. Article 80 1- Voting shall always take place on a Sunday, the same day for all Lebanese regions, from 7:00 am to 7:00 pm. 2- Before the polling day, the Ministry shall organize, in all electoral districts, a central voting operation exclusive for the civil servants in charge of running the polling stations on the polling day. Ballot boxes of civil servants stations shall be closed after calculating the number of envelopes in each box.
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While still closed, the boxes shall be immediately sent, escorted by the Internal Security Forces, to the competent registration committee in order to count them and then to add their results to those of the other ballot boxes at the end of the electoral process on Sunday. The said voting operation shall observe the regulations set forth in the present law. (“Escorted by the Internal Security Forces” added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25). Article 81 1- Based on the voters’ rolls, the Ministry shall issue voters’ lists (lawa’ih shatib) to be used in all polling stations inside or outside Lebanon. In addition to the data taken from the voters’ rolls, each voters’ list shall include the voter’s ID card number or passport number if available on the date when the lists were prepared, as well as three boxes: one for the voter’s signature, one for the polling station member appointed to verify the voting, and one for comments that may arise from the voting operation. 2- All pages of the voters’ list of each polling station shall be attached to each other, numbered, and sealed by the Ministry. 3- No one shall be allowed to vote unless their name is registered on the check list of the polling station or unless they obtain the competent registration committee’s decision allowing them to register their name. Article 82 1- Each polling station shall be made up of one head and one clerk with four assistants as mentioned herein. The Governor or District Commissioner, each within his scope of work, may, if necessary, appoint reserve assistants. 2- The head of the polling station and at least half of the assistants must be present during the electoral process. Article 83 1- Each candidate or list shall have the right to delegate one of the electoral district voters to access the polling station, at a rate of one party agent for every polling station. They may also choose mobile agents from among the voters of the district to have access to all polling stations within the said district at a rate of one party agent for every two polling
stations in villages and one party agent for every 5 polling stations in cities. 2- The accredited observers authorized by the Ministry according to the present law, may enter the polling stations at any moment to observe the development of electoral process. Article 84 Security forces shall maintain order at the entrance of and around the polling centers. Any electoral or advertising activity, for example: use of loudspeakers, loud music, party flags and parades shall be prohibited in the vicinity of the polling center. Article 85 1- The Ministry shall provide the polling stations with the necessary equipment and stationery for the electoral process. Furthermore, it shall provide them with one ballot box made of a transparent solid material with one hole each. 2- Each polling station shall have one or more voting booths, all conforming to the specifications determined by the Ministry. 3- The voting booth is mandatory under the penalty of cancelling the voting operation in the concerned polling station. Article 86 1- Before the beginning of voting, the polling station head shall open the box and verify with the polling station panel and party agents that it is empty. He shall then lock it properly under the supervision of the eldest assistant. 2- During the electoral operations, official copies of voters’ lists and the Ministry’s decision that establishes and designates the polling station shall be published at the polling station entrance. A copy of the electoral law and a list of the party agents shall be placed on a table in the polling station so that the voters, candidates and their agents can examine them. 3- Before the commencement and until the end of the electoral operations, the polling station head shall make sure that all posters, symbols, writings, and slogans of any nature whatsoever are removed from the polling station.
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Article 87 The votes are cast in sealable, opaque envelopes of one type for all voters, supplied by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and made available for voters on the polling station desk in front of the station Head. The envelopes shall display the label “Ministry of Interior” and bear the stamp of the Governorate or District, along with the date, and shall be sent from the Governor (Mohafez) or District Commissioner (Qaimaqam) via policemen or gendarmes to every polling station head before the polling day. The number of envelopes shall be equal to that of voters registered on the polling station’s rolls. At the same time, an additional number of unstamped envelopes (20%) shall be sent to the polling station head. The policemen or gendarmes shall write a delivery report, have it signed by the station Head and send it to the registration committee of the district via the District Commissioner or any delegate thereof. - Before the voting process, the Head of the Polling Station shall verify that the number of stamped envelopes is exactly equal to that of registered voters. - In case of any force majeure or cheating attempt to violate the genuineness of elections or any other reason leads to a lack of envelopes, the Head of the polling station shall replace those envelopes with the unstamped envelopes received. He shall stamp those with the Polling Station stamp along with the date. The replacement reason shall be mentioned in the minutes. The remaining unstamped envelopes that were not used shall be enclosed with the minutes. When entering the station, the voter is supposed to discretely hold a paper containing the names of candidates he/she wishes to elect or use one of the blank papers put on the table inside the booth and write the names of candidates he/she wishes to elect. - Inside the booth mentioned in article 85 of the present law, a list of the candidates’ names shall be posted. Blank papers and pencils shall be also made available therein to all voters. Article 88 1- As soon as the voter enters the polling station, the station head shall verify his/her identity based on his ID card or Lebanese valid passport. If the data on the ID card or passport is found conflicting with the data
on the check lists, the ID card or passport number shall be used as reference instead. 2- After the polling station panel has made sure that the voter’s name exists on the check list of the polling station, the station head shall give the voter an officially stamped envelope after having duly signed it. 3- The station head shall ask the voter to necessarily go into the voting booth to choose the names of candidates he/she wishes to elect. If the voter refuses to do so he/she shall be prohibited from voting. Article 89 Each voter shall be entitled to vote for a number of candidates that equals the number of seats allocated to every district, based on its confessional distribution. Article 90 1- The voter shall approach the polling station panel and show that he/she holds only one envelope. The station head verifies this without touching the envelope or seeing what is inside. Then, he authorizes the voter to drop the envelope, by himself/herself, in the ballot box. 2- The polling station head shall make sure that the voter has indeed gone into the voting booth. If the voter fails to do so, he/she shall be prohibited from voting. 3- Voting is confirmed by the voter’s signature on the check list and by inking his thumb with a special indelible ink provided by the Ministry for all polling stations. The said ink should last at least 24 hours. Any voter with such ink on his thumb is barred from voting again. Article 91 No voter may delegate his right to vote to another party. However, a handicapped voter who cannot practice his right to vote shall be allowed, under the supervision of the polling station panel, to have the assistance of another voter of his choice. Such an event shall be mentioned in the box reserved for comments on the check list. Article 92 The Ministry shall take into consideration the needs of disabled persons while organizing the electoral process and take all measures allowing those to
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exercise their right to vote without obstacles. The Ministry shall put in place a relevant exhaustive implementation code after consulting with Disabled Persons organizations and Service Providing organizations set forth in the Law on the Rights of Disabled Persons no 220 dated 29/5/2000. Article 93 The polling station head shall announce the end of the voting process at 7:00 pm. However, if there are still voters present in the entrance area of the polling center who have not yet voted, the polling time shall be extended until they have cast their votes. Such an event shall be mentioned in the minutes.
CHAPTER EIGHT Counting Votes and Declaring the Results Article 94 At the end of the voting process, polling is closed and only the station panel, party agents (permanent and/or mobile) and accredited observers may stay inside the polling station. The ballot box shall be opened and the envelopes counted. The minutes shall mention if the envelope count is more or less than the number of names crossed-off on the check list. The polling station head or any of his assistants shall open the envelopes one by one and audibly read the name or names elected by the voter, under the effective supervision of candidates or agents or authorized observers if any. Article 95 The Ministry shall equip the polling stations with special cameras and TV screens allowing the projection of the ballot papers content on a screen, and therefore, allowing the station panel, party agents and authorized observers to easily read the names on the ballot papers during the vote count. Article 96 Should one of the ballot papers include a number of candidates exceeding the number of deputies to be elected, the names of candidates of each confession mentioned first (before the others) shall alone be taken into consideration while counting the votes. Ballot papers or envelopes thereof that contain
identification marks or insults to candidates or other persons shall be considered as spoilt ballots. (Clause added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) Names of candidates that may be spelled in ways different from the usual local spelling that is known to citizens, such as foreign names and compound names, shall not be considered spoilt if they sufficiently designate the person in question. This is particularly applicable when the electoral district does not include any other candidate having the same or a similar name. (Clause added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) If one ballot paper contained two confusingly indistinguishable candidate names, it shall be attached with the spoilt ballots to the minutes, along with its envelope, after having it signed by the polling station panel. The minutes shall mention the reason of such attachment. (Clause added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) Blank ballots are considered as valid votes and shall not be counted with spoilt ballots. (Clause added by virtue of law /59/ dated 27/12/08 amending some articles of law no. 25) Article 97 After counting the ballot papers, the head of the polling station shall announce and sign the provisional voting results, immediately post them on the polling station door and issue certified copies to each of the candidates and their agents upon their request. Article 98 Upon announcing the provisional results of the voting at the polling station, the station head shall draw up in two original copies a task report and all its pages shall be signed by the station panel members. The head of the station shall enclose in an envelope all voters’ lists signed by the voters, the ballot papers considered void and envelopes thereof, the aforementioned task report and the candidate votecount sheet. This envelope shall be sealed with wax and transmitted, with security escort, by the station head and clerk to the registration committee office where it shall be delivered together with all documents included therein to the head of the registration committee, or his delegate, who shall open it
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afterward in the presence of party agents. The head and clerk of the polling station shall both be held responsible if the envelope is found open or altered upon arrival. Article 99 The registration committees shall study the minutes and documents, take the relevant decisions, and announce the figures stated in each record to the attendants (the candidates or their agents). These committees shall also count and add the votes obtained by each candidate, then draw up a record of all results- according to the tables and minutes done in duplicate after having them signed by all of the committee members-, and submit it to the higher committee of the electoral district. The Directorate General of Political Affairs and Refugees at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities shall appoint an employee to receive the minutes of polling stations and documents attached thereto one after another from the registration committee as soon as this committee has finished its work with every envelope. The said employee shall sign an acknowledgement of receipt of each envelope and documents thereof. He shall also receive a signed copy of the record together with the result table set forth by the committee. Article 100 The higher committee of the electoral district receives the results submitted by the registration committees along with the attached tables. It shall proofread the documents and only correct the data and counting mistakes if any, and then correct the final result accordingly. Moreover, it shall add the votes in the tables, write a final result for the electoral district on the final tablein numbers and letters and the word “only” after the total- and have the minutes and final general table signed by all of its members. Thereupon, it shall announce, in front of the candidates or their agents, the final results obtained by each candidate. Article 101 The Higher Committee shall deliver to the Muhafez or district commissioner Qaimqam, the final minutes and the general results table and shall draw up an exchange confirmation statement signed by the
Muhafez or Qaimqam, and any member of the higher registration committee named by the head of the committee. The results taken from the final minutes and the general table enclosed thereto shall be immediately sent to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, which shall announce the final official results and the names of winning candidates. The Minister shall immediately notify the Speaker of the Parliament and the Head of the Constitutional Council of the results. The ballot papers shall be confidentially kept at the Central Bank of Lebanon, in portfolios marked with the name of their source polling stations for three months after the announcement of results. Afterward, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities shall destroy the ballot papers pursuant to a duly written report, unless they are subject to review or challenge before the Constitutional Council.
CHAPTER NINE Incompatibility between Parliamentary Membership and Some Other Offices Article 102 1- No one may be a Member or President of Parliament and at the same time be a board member or chairperson of any public institution or public utility institution or hold any post in any public administration, public institution, municipality, municipal union, privileged company, mixedeconomy company, or public-capital company. No MP may hold any religious post with a salary or remuneration paid from the Treasury. Each of those elected as MPs shall be automatically considered discharged from their job if they do not refuse the MP mandate within one month after the announcement of election results. 2- No one may be a Member of Parliament and at the same time be attorney of the State or any of its departments or public institutions or municipalities or municipal unions or any of the institutions or companies mentioned in Clause 1 above. Each of those elected as MP shall be automatically discharged from his duties. Article 103 A Member of Parliament may not be granted any
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monopoly, privilege or any commitment by the state or public institutions or municipalities. Their spouse and children shall be considered one.
CHAPTER TEN Voting by Non-Resident Voters Article 104 All Lebanese natives living outside the Lebanese territory shall be entitled to vote in Lebanese embassies and consulates pursuant to the provisions of this law, provided that their name is registered on the voters’ rolls and no legal reason prevents their right to vote. Article 105 The voting of non-resident Lebanese natives shall be governed by the general provisions on the voting of resident Lebanese citizens, in conformity with this chapter’s provisions. Article 106 Upon the ratification of this law, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants shall invite, via Lebanese embassies and consulates, by the means it deems appropriate, all the Lebanese non-resident natives fulfilling the above mentioned conditions, to voice their wish to participate in voting in their country of residence. They shall proceed by registering their names either personally or by a duly registered letter submitted to the embassy or consulate of their choice, including all the relevant information on their identity and register number. The timeframe for registration shall not exceed the 31st of December of every year preceding the parliamentary elections. After this date, the nonresident Lebanese natives’ right to vote in the subsequent parliamentary elections ceases to be valid. Article 107 The concerned embassies and consulates shall consecutively send the names of persons registered to the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants at the end of every week. The competent departments at the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities shall verify the registration of those names on the voters’ rolls and shall, after the expiry of the registration timeframe, prepare independent
voters’ rolls for each embassy or consulate, including the names of eligible voters, distributed on basis of electoral districts. However, the number of registered voters in one electoral district shall not be less than 200 voters. A sign shall be put next to their names to prevent them from voting in their original place of residence. Article 108 The Ministry of Interior and Municipalities shall send, via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, the independent voters’ rolls to all concerned embassies and consulates. Based on the number of eligible voters, the embassies and consulates are supposed to mount one polling station or more (if the voters’ number exceeds 400) within their own premises or in any other adequate location. Article 109 The ambassador or consul coordinates with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants to form the panel of each polling station. The panel shall at least include one head and one clerk selected from the embassy or consulate staff or contractual employees when need be. They shall also specify their terms of reference. Party agents may be present during the voting, counting of votes and announcement of results. Article 110 Voting outside Lebanon shall be made ten days at the most before the Election Day in Lebanon, according to the concerned electoral districts, and with the use of opaque sealable envelopes of one type adopted and stamped by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities. The ballot boxes shall be open from 7 am to 10 pm. The head of the station shall sign the envelope and give it to the voter, after having verified their identity and the presence of their name on the voters’ rolls. Voters may vote by presenting their Lebanese ID card or valid Lebanese passport. The voter must enter the polling booth and put one paper in the envelope including the names of candidates he/she wishes to elect. He/she shall personally drop the envelope in the ballot box. A voter’s voting shall be confirmed by his/her signature or fingerprint as well as the signature of one polling station member next to the voter’s name on the voters’ list used in the electoral operation.
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Article 111 At the end of the voting operation, the ballot box (es) shall be opened in the presence of the ambassador or consul. The latter may delegate representatives if any force majeure prevents them from attending. The envelopes and ballots papers are counted and calculated in the presence of the polling station panel. Article 112 A report on the electoral operation shall be set forth with a detailed description of the number of votes received by each candidate. The report shall be signed by the ambassador and consul, and the results shall be posted on the polling station gate. After announcing the results as above mentioned, all papers and envelopes shall be burnt save for ballots considered as “spoilt ballots” for containing identification marks or insults or two confusingly indistinguishable candidate names. Article 113 The polling station head shall put in an envelope: the check lists signed by the voters, the spoilt ballot papers and envelopes thereof, the minutes of the electoral operation and the candidates’ vote count sheet. The envelope shall be sealed with wax and sent to the concerned registration committees in Lebanon via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants by the fastest possible means of communication. Article 114 To guarantee the implementation of the provisions of the present chapter, and the non-resident Lebanese natives’ right to vote in their country of residence after the 2009 universal parliamentary elections, the following procedures shall be taken as of the ratification of the present law: 1- Before every 10th of February, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities shall send the voters’ rolls on CDs through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants to the Lebanese Embassies and Consulates abroad. 2- The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants shall circulate and make public the aforementioned rolls by all means possible. It shall invite the voters to check them and ask for correction when need be, before resending them to the Directorate General of Personal Status ahead of every 10th of March. The revisions, rectifications and
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crossing out of the rolls’ records shall follow the principles and procedures stipulated in chapter four of this law. Communication shall be made via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, who reports to the competent authority.
VI. Decree number 1517 (4)
3- Within a period of one year after the present law’s publication, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants shall prepare a detailed study on the voting mechanism of non-resident Lebanese natives in embassies and consulates. The study shall include all technical details related to the human and financial readiness of the said embassies and consulates, in addition to recommendations on their logistical and technical needs, and the implementation timeframes and approximate cost thereof. The study shall be submitted to the Council of Ministers to take appropriate executive measures and secure the needed approbations.
Decree No 1517
CHAPTER ELEVEN Final Provisions Article 115 In cases where the present law does not provide for the details of implementation thereof, the said details shall be determined by virtue of decrees issued upon a suggestion of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities. Article 116 All texts opposing the provisions of the present law or conflicting with its content shall be deemed null; particularly, law no.171 issued on January 6, 2000. Article 117 This law shall enter into force immediately after its publication in the official gazette.
Baabda, on 8 October 2008 President Michel SLEIMAN (signature) President of the Council of Ministers, Fouad SINIORA (signature) Issued in the official gazette no. 41, on 09/10/2008.
Official Gazette – issue No. 13 – 19/3/2009
Procedures and Conditions of election observation by the concerned international entities The President of the Republic, Pursuant to the Constitution, Pursuant to the Parliamentary Elections Law No. 25 dated 8/10/2008 and its amendments, and particularly article 20 thereof, Pursuant to the recommendation of the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, And after consulting the State Council (opinion No. 126/2008-2009 dated 12/2/2009), And upon the approval of the Council of Ministers on 26/2/2009, Decrees the following: Article 1: The following terms and expressions, wherever mentioned in this decree, shall indicate the following: - The Ministry: the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities - The Minister: the Minister of Interior and Municipalities - International entities: international and regional organizations, international non-governmental organizations, and States’ representatives and delegates. - The observer teams or observers: delegations accredited by an international entity to accompany the elections on its behalf. Article 2: International entities that meet the conditions stipulated in this decree shall be entitled to accompany the parliamentary elections, provided that they abide
by the applicable laws and regulations and respect the sovereignty of the Lebanese Republic. Article 3: International entities willing to accompany the electoral process shall meet the following conditions: 1- International and regional organizations or international non-governmental organizations: a. Enjoying a legal personality pursuant to the laws of their countries of registration or pursuant to the international conventions that they established. b. Their statutes shall stipulate objectives that are directly related to democracy, human rights, elections, transparency, or training thereof. c. Should have already dispatched delegations to accompany elections or teams to observe the official electoral process of at least five countries. d. Should not be connected in any way to any Lebanese political party. e. Shall abide, without reservation, by a Code of Ethics or a Memorandum of Understanding established by the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities for this purpose. 2- State representatives and delegates: It is sufficient to fill the Special Observer Form issued for them by the Ministry. Article 4: 1- The international organizations that meet these conditions may accompany the electoral process, either upon a clear request from the Lebanese Republic or upon an initiative from the international entities themselves expressing to the Minister, in writing, their willingness to accompany the electoral process. This procedure should be completed two months, at least, before the elections by virtue of a letter containing the following information and documents in Arabic or English: a. Documents proving that it is a duly recognized international organization. b. A copy of its statute or of the convention by virtue of which it was established. (4) Unofficial translation
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c. A list of the observer teams’ names and identities, provided that they do not exceed 100 persons. The Ministry alone can accept or refuse the participation of any of the proposed names.
work, ensure their safety, provide them with a security escort when needed, and guarantee their freedom in accompanying the electoral process all over the country.
d. The estimated date of arrival of the observer teams.
The official authorities should, as well, ensure the freedom of the international entities and their observers to issue periodical and final data and reports stating the outcomes and recommendations about the electoral process without any interference in their work or activities, provided that these entities abide by the stipulations of the present decree.
e. The name of the coordination and liaison official appointed by the international organization and charged with contacting and communicating with the official authorities, signing all documents and forms, and carrying out the various administrative affairs related to the accompanying process, by virtue of a written request issued by the competent authority and attached to the mentioned letter. 2- A special register shall be kept at the Ministry to record all pertinent requests and information. Article 5: The international entities can be represented by observer teams or observers accredited on an individual basis. They have the freedom to choose these observers within the framework of the applicable laws and regulations. The Ministry agrees upon the observers’ names and determines the allowed number for each international organization. The observer accredited by international entities to accompany the electoral process shall meet the following conditions: a. He should have reached at least the age of twenty one years at least at the date of his registration in the lists submitted by the international entity. b. He should not be convicted by a foreign or national court for a felony or crimes against public freedoms or human rights or corruption. c. Should have experience and knowledge and should have participated in delegations concerning observing and accompanying of elections. Article 6: The international organizations are alone directly responsible for the observers acting in their names in all activities and works that they carry out. All official authorities should remove any obstacle that obstructs the international organizations’ and observers’ work. They should also facilitate their
Article 7: The international organizations and their observers should always work in conformity with the following principles: 1- They should work within the limits of the Lebanese Republic sovereignty and abide by, respect, and implement the applicable laws and regulations in all cases. They should seek to cooperate with the electoral authorities in Lebanon and should not impede the elections progress in any way. 2- They should be objective, neutral, independent and comprehensive in all activities and works. They should not draw any conclusions unless they take into consideration all conditions and facts. 3- They should avoid any clash or conflict between the political, economic or other interests of the international organizations and accurately and objectively accompany the elections. 4- They should refrain from impeding and interfering in the electoral process or in the state’s political affairs, and abstain from attempting to solve or arbitrate in conflicts. 5- They should refrain from instigating conflicts or starting any act that reveals prejudice or preference for any political or electoral force. Moreover, they should not show any kind of support or opposition to any party, political or electoral authority. 6- They should be neither directly nor indirectly connected to any Lebanese political groups, and have no relation with any of the parties running for the elections. 7- The reports that they draw should be made public and transparent and declare the methods that they use to get the information that they rely on. The
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information should be accurate, objective and based on accurate scientific standards.
Article 12:
8- They should always be ready to inform the Ministry and the Lebanese Government about their information sources and reveal them when requested.
The Lebanese Republic shall not have any financial burdens resulting from accompanying the electoral process by the authorities concerned with the provisions herein.
Article 8:
Article 13:
The observers are entitled to be accompanied by translators or to have recourse to local translators in order to facilitate their duties. All translators should abide by the same legal procedures and code of conduct used by observers.
This decree shall enter into force immediately upon its publication in the official gazette. It shall be circulated when need be.
Article 9: In addition to the above, the international entities wishing to accompany the electoral process should abide by the Code of Ethics or the Memorandum of Understanding established by the Ministry in participation with the said entities, by virtue of which they set the basic principles for accompanying the electoral process, as well as the rights and obligations of the international organizations and the code of conduct for the observers. Article 10: 1- The Ministry decides on the accreditation of the international entity that expresses its willingness to accompany the elections within seven working days starting on the date of receipt of the letter presented by the international organization. The result shall be notified in writing to the concerned persons, their silence is considered an implicit rejection. 2- After having issued the decision of accrediting the international entity and its observers, the Ministry issues special cards for each accredited observer. The shape and content of these cards shall be designated by virtue of a decision issued by the Minister of Interior and Municipalities. Article 11: The Minister is entitled to cancel the accreditation to accompany the electoral process given to any international organization or accredited observer in case of violation of the Memorandum of Understanding or the Code of Ethics, or if the applicable Lebanese laws and regulations were not respected, especially the provisions of the present decree.
Baabda, on 13 March 2009 President Michel SLEIMAN (signature) Issued by the President of the Republic President of the Council of Ministers, Fouad SINIORA (signature) Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ziyad BAROUD (signature)
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VII. Helpful contacts *The following numbers are as dialed from a landline or cellular phone inside Lebanon. INSTITUTION Elections Hotline at MoIM Police Civil Defense Red Cross Directory Assistance Ministry of Interior and Municipalities Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants Ministry of Tourism
NUMBER 1790 112 125 140 1515 for landline numbers 1414 for cellular numbers 01-754200 or 01-751601/2/3/4 01-332-301/2/5 or 01-333099 01-340-940/1/2/3/4/5
All briefing materials and relevant legal documents can be found on the official web pages of the Ministry: www.elections.gov.lb
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