1- How many seats are there in the Parliament?
- The number of parliamentary seats is 128
2- What is the mandate of the Parliament?
- The Parliament mandate is 4 years
3- What is the Electoral System applied?
- Majority System
4- What is the number of Electoral Districts?
- There are 26 districts. More information is available on the website www.elections.gov.lb
5- What is the legal age for voting?
- 21 years
6- I am 21 years old and my name is not listed in the voters’ rolls:
- In order to have your name listed in the voters’ rolls you should have completed twenty-one years on 30 March 2009, in other words, you should be born on 30 March 1988 or earlier than that.
7- Who is not eligible to vote?
• Persons deprived by legal sentence of their civil rights
• Persons convicted to be permanently disqualified from public service at any grades or positions
• Persons disqualified from their grades or public service temporarily, until the end of the disqualification period
• Persons convicted of a felony
• 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
• Persons interdicted by court order until the end of the interdiction period
• Persons declared fraudulently bankrupt or those sentenced to sanctions stated in Articles 689 to 698 of the Penal Code
• Persons convicted and sentenced to sanctions stated in Articles 329 to 334 of the penal code
• Naturalized Lebanese individuals before the lapse of ten years after the naturalization decree is issued.
• Military personnel of various ranks
8- What is the legal document to be represented by voters on Elections day?
- An Identity Card or valid passport
Where can I get my Identity Card from?
You should go to the same center where you submitted your ID request form, to the mayor or the registration office in your district. You can also check the process of your card on the website www.elections.gov.lb via the link “Search for your ID”.
9- How to get an ID card?
You should go to the mayor and take with you your Personal Civil Status Record and two passport photos with a white background.
What If I lost my ID card?
You should request a replacement for the lost identity card by filing a new form and submitting a police record proving that you have lost it.
There is a typing mistake in my ID card, can I still vote?
Yes, if the data on the check lists are different from those on the ID card, the card number is to be referred to. It should correspond to the number mentioned on the check lists.
10- Is my ID card ready?
Please check on the website via the link “Search for your ID” or contact the mayor or registration office.
When is the deadline to submit an ID card request?
You can always submit an ID card application form to the mayor; however, you should take into consideration that the ID may need 3 week to be issued.
11- Can I use my Personal Civil Status Record to vote?
No, the Electoral Law only provided for the use of the ID card and valid passport as documents that can be use to vote.
12- Where do I vote?
You can look for the polling center location on the website or you can call the elections hotline on 179.
13- When do polling centers open and close?
The polling centers open at 7 a.m. and close at 7 p.m.
14- Who are the candidates in my district?
You can check the names of candidates in your district under the “candidates” link or you can call the elections hotline on 179.
15- My name is not on the checklists
The voters’ rolls were frozen on March 30. Corrections were only possible between February 10 and March 10.
16- I am 21 years old and my name is not on the voters’ rolls
- In order to have your name on the voters’ rolls, you should have completed the age of twenty-one years on 30 March 2009, in other words, you should be born on 30 March 1988 or earlier than that.
20- What qualifications should I meet to be a candidate?
• you should have completed the age of twenty-five years
• you should be registered in the voters’ rolls
• you should enjoy your civil and political rights
• you should be literate
• you should be naturalized for more than ten years
Then following persons may not run for parliamentary elections unless they are retired or have resigned:
• Six months before the elections’ date:
• Military personnel of various ranks
• Civil servants of the first and second ranks
• Chairpersons and members of administrative boards in public institutions and bodies
• General Directors of public institutions and public capital companies
• Presidents and vice-presidents of municipal councils
• One year before the elections’ date
• Judges of all degrees and ranks
• Members of the Supervisory Commission on the Electoral Campaign
• Two years before the elections’ date
• Presidents or vice-presidents of municipal councils in
•Muhafaza centers
• District centers
• Presidents of municipal unions
What are the documents required to run for elections?
• A notarized request signed by the candidate and including the following data:
• The full name of the candidate
• The seat and the district he/she would be running for
• A Personal Civil Status Record less than one-month old
• A police record less than one-month old
• Two passport photos certified by the mayor
• A financial receipt proving the payment of candidacy fees: 2 million Lebanese pounds
• The deposit of six million Lebanese pounds
• A bank certificate confirming the opening of an account for the electoral campaign
• A statement issued by the Civil Status Office employee, and the registration committee member, verifying that the candidate is registered in the voters’ rolls
• A declaration by the candidate containing the auditor’s name
21- When is the deadline for filing the candidacy application?
- 7 April 2009 at 24:00 hours
22- When is the deadline for withdrawal?
- 22 April at 24:00 hours
23- What are the tasks of the Supervisory commission?
• Receive the requests of private printed and audio visual media wishing to participate in the paid electoral advertising.
• 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.
• Supervise electoral spending pursuant to the provisions of this law.
• Receive and audit the financial statements of electoral campaigns of lists and candidates within one month after the polling day.
• Refer the defaulting media the Electoral Law provisions to the competent Court of Publications.
• Refer the defaulters of the Electoral spending provisions to the competent courts.
24- Who are the Supervisory Commission members?
• Judge Ghassan Abou Alwan: President Higher Judicial Council
• Judge Iskandar Fayad: Vice-President State Council
•Judge Hanifa Sabra: Member National Audit Office
• Professor. Salim El Osta: Member Beirut Bar Association
• Professor Georges Mourani: Member North Bar Association
• Professor Pierre Azar: Member National Media Council
• Dr. Imad Bachir: Member National Media Council
• Dr. Arda Ekmekji: Member Minister of Interior and Municipalities
• Dr. Khalil Jbara: Secretary Minister of Interior and Municipalities
• Professor Atallah Ghacham: Member Board of Ministers
25- What is meant by the electoral campaign account?
It is an account that every candidate should open with an operating bank in Lebanon under the following conditions:
• The account shall not be subject to bank secrecy
• All electoral contributions shall be exclusively made through this account
• All electoral expenses shall be exclusively made through this account
26- What is the electoral ceiling?
The electoral ceiling is the maximum limit of funds that a candidate may spend on his electoral expenses and it is determined by two parts:
• The fixed part: one hundred and fifty million Lebanese pounds
• The variable part: four thousand Lebanese Pounds against every voter in the district
27- What are the electoral expenses?
The electoral expenses include among others:
• Rental of electoral offices and all related charges.
• Organization of rallies, festivals, public meetings and election-related banquets.
• Preparation, publication and distribution of advertising and promotional material such as books, booklets, bulletins, publications, and letters sent by regular or electronic mail
• Design, printing, distribution and posting of pictures, posters and billboards.
• Compensations paid to party agents and persons involved in the electoral campaign.
• Transportation fees of electoral campaign staff and voters.
• Electoral promotion costs and any other costs paid to any radio, TV, newspaper, magazine or any other publication used for electoral campaigning.
28- When does the candidate have to submit a statement of account?
The deadline is one month after the polling day; that is before 7 July 2009
29- What are the Medias authorized to broadcast the electoral advertising?
The Medias participating in the electoral promotion and advertising are:
• Radio Stations: Voice of Lebanon, Radio Free Lebanon, Sawt El Ghad, Sawt Al Hurrya, Al Risala station, Sawt Al-Shaab, Radio Orient, Sawt Al Nour Radio, Radio Van, Radio Sevan, Sawt Beirut and Lebanon, Al Fajer Radio.
• Televisions: Lebanese Broadcast Corporation (LBC), New TV, OTV, Future TV, Future News TV, Lebanese television network, National Broadcasting Network (NBN), Al Manar, Al-Murr – MTV.
• Newspapers: An-Nahar, Al Anwar, Al Bayrak, Sada Al-Balad, Future, Al-Akhbar, Asharq, Al Safir, Al Liwa, Sada Al-Balad (French Version), L’Orient Le Jour, Daily Star, Aztag, Ararad, Zartouk.
• Magazines: Assayad, Al Massira, Al Awassef, Ashira’, Al-Ousbou’ Al-Arabi, Sawt Al Balad, Tamadon, Monday Morning, La Revue Du Liban Magazine.