Kataeb Party is pushing for urgent reforms to Lebanon's electoral law, calling for the abrogation of the six parliamentary seats reserved for expatriates and instead granting Lebanese abroad the right to vote for all 128 seats. The issue came to the forefront after the Kataeb bloc had walked out of a parliamentary session in protest against Speaker Nabih Berri’s refusal to place the proposed amendment on the agenda.

Kataeb leader and MP Samy Gemayel said the party first submitted legislation seven years ago to abolish the six-seat quota and extend full voting rights to expatriates. However, the proposal has never been officially discussed or approved by any parliamentary committee or the general assembly.

“Today, with just two months left before the Interior Minister must begin implementing the current law—which restricts expatriate voting rights to only six parliamentary seats, one for each continent—abolishing this quota has become an urgent necessity,” Gemayel said. “It must be passed as soon as possible, whether in this session or the next. Our withdrawal was intended to demonstrate our resolve on this issue, as expatriates have a significant impact on election outcomes. In the last parliamentary elections, expatriate votes influenced the results in more than 64 parliamentary seats. For this reason, we consider this a pivotal issue.”

“We did not want to disrupt the session but were forced to withdraw because the item was excluded from the agenda. Proper representation in Parliament is a top priority. I assure everyone we will continue to apply pressure and pursue this fight to the end. No one can oppose the will of the Lebanese people, especially with the wave of change expected in 2025.”

At the start of the session, Gemayel reminded lawmakers that the Kataeb bloc’s 2018 bill to abolish the six-seat quota was never scheduled for discussion in any committee or legislative session. When questioned about this in a subcommittee on electoral reforms, the response was that the bill needed to be re-signed and resubmitted—a surprising request, according to Gemayel, since proposed laws should remain open for committee review. Nonetheless, he re-signed and resubmitted the bill.

“With elections just a year away, we must accelerate the approval of this law,” he said.

On the state’s efforts to assert full control over Lebanese territory, Gemayel called on Speaker Berri to convene a parliamentary session with ministerial attendance to update lawmakers on ongoing talks about granting the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) exclusive authority over weapons in the country.

“This topic is being debated everywhere except in Parliament,” he said. “We want a session to inform MPs and allow them to voice their opinions, as this is critical for the next political phase.”