By Ali Hussein
Millions of Lebanese citizens live abroad—not by choice, but by necessity. They were driven out by war, corruption, economic collapse, and hopelessness. Yet despite the distance, they have never turned their backs on Lebanon. In its darkest hours, they became the country’s lifeline, keeping it afloat with remittances, investments, and unwavering emotional and political support.
Now, those very people are being told that their voices no longer matter. That their right to full political participation is negotiable. That their role is to send money, not to cast votes.
This is nothing short of a betrayal.
On July 2, 2025, the Lebanese Private Sector Network (LPSN) issued a powerful statement calling for the restoration of full voting rights to Lebanon’s diaspora. “The Lebanese diaspora must be granted the right to vote for all 128 members of Parliament based on the districts in which they are registered in Lebanon—not be limited to the six continental seats currently allocated to them,” the statement declared.
The LPSN also emphasized that expatriates must continue to vote from their countries of residence, as they did during the 2022 elections. To deny them this right is to further alienate a population that has given more to Lebanon than many of its own politicians ever have.
“Restricting diaspora voting rights severs a vital connection between Lebanon and its global citizens,” the statement warned. And it’s true. The diaspora’s relationship with Lebanon is not symbolic. It is economic, social, emotional—and political.
Amid years of failed governance and financial ruin, it was not the Lebanese state that came to the people’s rescue. It was the diaspora.
They wired money when salaries evaporated. They paid for food when families went hungry. They covered school fees, medical treatments, and emergency bills. Even after losing billions in Lebanon’s bank collapse, they did not stop helping.
Without the diaspora, entire regions of Lebanon could have faced famine. That is not an exaggeration. It is a fact.
And yet, the political establishment, led by Speaker of Parliament Nabih Berri, continues to block a draft law that restores full voting rights to these same citizens.
The draft law—already endorsed by 65 members of Parliament, a clear majority—would amend articles 112, 121, and 122 of the Electoral Law, which currently restrict the diaspora to electing just 6 out of 128 MPs.
That is 4.7% representation for a population that, by many estimates, far exceeds the number of Lebanese currently living in Lebanon. Denying full rights to this global majority is not only unjust—it is undemocratic and dangerously shortsighted.
This is not only unjust—it is dangerous.
Lebanon cannot afford to alienate its diaspora. Not morally, not politically, and certainly not economically. The survival of the nation has been deeply tied to its sons and daughters abroad.
“If it weren’t for the diaspora, Lebanon might not even exist today as an independent and sovereign country,” said one diaspora member.
He is right. To continue denying them equal political rights is to ignore history—and jeopardize the future.
Speaker Berri must stop obstructing the will of the people. Parliament must bring the draft law to a vote. And Lebanon must finally recognize the diaspora for what it truly is: not a separate category of citizens, but an essential pillar of the republic.
The choice is clear: include them fully—or risk losing them forever.