Suleiman Lauds Koura By-Elections, Urges Need to Hold 2013 Poll on Time

President Michel Suleiman voiced on Monday his satisfaction with the Koura by-election that took place on Sunday, saying that it demonstrated the Lebanese people’s attachment to democracy.

He stressed the importance of holding constitutional obligations, such as elections, on schedule “because that is the basis of democratic systems.”

He therefore urged the need to complete all the necessary amendments for the parliamentary electoral law and the mechanism to allow expatriates to vote.

The president called for completing the preparations for the 2013 parliamentary elections.

Suleiman also praised the security measures that were taken during Sunday’s by-election, noting that they allowed citizens to head to the polls “in complete freedom.”

Fadi Karam, of the Lebanese Forces, won the Koura by-election, defeating five other candidates in a hotly contested battle.