Quint mulling election postponement as power shift unlikely

The ambassadors of the five-nation group -- consisting of the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt, are seriously considering the possibility of postponing the Lebanese parliamentary elections, al-Joumhouria newspaper reported Friday.

The daily said it has learned from a senior official that the Quintet's ambassadors are mulling the postponement, amid confusion over how the expatriates will participate, for political considerations unrelated to the controversy surrounding the diaspora vote.

The official told al-Joumhouria, that the political reasons being discussed, to see if it is better to hold the elections on time or postpone them, are whether the timely elections can make a significant shift in power.

The official said a two-year postponement is possible but that it is still not clear in that case which party would propose the extension, bearing in mind that all political parties except Amal and Hezbollah prefer a delay.

The Duo would benefit the most from holding the elections on time, and Speaker Nabih Berri was the first to submit his candidacy, followed by other candidates from his Amal movement.

Nevertheless, the postponement would not be possible without the approval of President Joseph Aoun, the source said. Aoun, according to the daily, is keen on holding the elections on time.

Interior Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar had said that despite all the confusion, the elections will be held on time after the elections decree was published in the Official Gazette. Now, if the elections were to be postponed, Parliament would have to pass a term-extension law.

The major disagreement in parliament is over how the diaspora would vote. The current law allocates six specific seats for expats, but many parties -- led by the Lebanese Forces -- are pushing to allow expats to vote for all 128 seats as they did in 2022.

Some MPs have already expressed skepticism about meeting the May deadline, citing the need for electoral reforms or security concerns.

Some officials have said that a "technical" delay is possible to allow expats to vote in Lebanon during their summer vacation. Berri, on the other hand, insists that elections will be held on time, refusing any delay even a technical one.