General elections in Lebanon are scheduled for 2028 to elect all 128 members of the Lebanese Parliament. The elections were originally scheduled for May 2026, but were postponed by Parliament for two years due to the ongoing 2026 Lebanon war.

Background Election of Aoun and appointment of Salam On 9 January 2025, Aoun was elected president in the second round of the electoral session. In his inaugural address, he vowed to fight the mafias, drug trafficking, interference in the justice system, corruption, poverty, and sectarianism. He also stated that he would promote economic, political, and judicial reform.

In one of his first acts as president, Aoun nominated Nawaf Salam, the head of the International Court of Justice, as Prime Minister of Lebanon after winning the majority of votes by the members of parliament. Salam and Aoun's election is seen as a manifestation of Hezbollah's diminished influence in Lebanese politics, partly due to the group's military and financial losses in the conflict with Israel and the fall of the Assad regime in Syria. Aoun formally appointed Salam as Prime Minister on 8 February 2025.

On 2 February 2026 President Aoun and Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar, signed Decree No. 2438, setting the election dates between 1 and 10 May. Lebanese living abroad were scheduled vote on 1 May and on 3 May, depending on the country they live in. Citizens inside Lebanon were to vote on 10 May.

Disarming of Hezbollah

Hezbollah, facing regional pressures and internal challenges, expressed willingness to discuss its armament, contingent upon Israel's withdrawal from contested territories in southern Lebanon and the cessation of military strikes. Aoun emphasized direct talks between the presidency and Hezbollah to establish "modalities" for transferring weapons to state control. He stated that he aims to make 2025 the year of "state monopoly on arms". The Lebanese Army, under president Aoun's direction, was tasked with confiscating weapons and dismantling unauthorized military facilities in southern Lebanon. This is in line with the ceasefire agreement following the 2024 Israel-Hezbollah conflict, which requires the army to extend state authority and remove all unauthorized arms caches and outposts, regardless of the group controlling them.

Postponement On 9 March 2026, the Lebanese Parliament approved a 2-year term extension during a plenary session, as the war between Israel and Hezbollah escalated. At the time of the extension, over 400 people had been killed and almost half a million displaced. The postponement of the elections by two years was opposed by the majority of Christian parties, who preferred a shorter extension, or one without a fixed date.

Electorate Electoral system In accordance with the Lebanese practice of political confessionalism, the Lebanese religious communities distribute reserved seats in the different constituencies according to their demographic weight. The distribution of votes is proportional.Lebanon passing parliamentary law is a step in right direction Gulf News, 16 June 2017 Once all the ballot papers have been counted, the total of valid votes in each constituency is divided by the number of seats to be filled, which gives the electoral threshold necessary for a list to obtain a seat.Electoral system Inter-Parliamentary Union The distribution of seats is done between the lists having reached this quorum proportionally according to the percentage of votes obtained, then within the lists in accordance with the denominational quotas and the number of preferential votes obtained by the candidates.

Electoral district under 2017 Election LawBeirut I (East Beirut)8 11131 1Beirut II (West Beirut)11621 1 1Bekaa I (Zahle)711 1121 Bekaa II (West Bekaa-Rachaya)6211 11 Bekaa III (Baalbek-Hermel)1026 1 1 Mount Lebanon I (Byblos-Kesrwan)8 1 7 Mount Lebanon II (Metn)8 4211 Mount Lebanon III (Baabda)6 21 3 Mount Lebanon IV (Aley-Chouf)132 4 511 North I (Akkar)73 112 North II (Tripoli-Minnieh-Dennieh)118 111 North III (Bcharre-Zghorta-Batroun-Koura)10 73 South I (Saida-Jezzine)52 2 1 South II (Zahrany-Tyre)7 6 1 South III (Marjaayoun-Nabatieh-Hasbaya-Bint Jbeil)11181 1 Total128272782341485111Source: elections.gov.lb

Registered voters

Preliminary lists of the numbers of voters (Feb 2026): +DistrictResident registersNon-resident registersTotalAkkar331,9434,893336,836Aley136,3155,649141,964Baabda175,0918,200183,291Baalbek-Hermel365,1086,279371,387Batroun62,9464,35667,302Beirut I 133,168 5,109 138,277Beirut II 384,521 13,777 398,298Bint Jbeil172,8256,158178,983Bsharre51,4874,03155,518Chouf220,4789,255229,733Dinnieh 80,994 1,427 82,421Jbeil87,8204,01591,835Jezzine63,1993,34166,540Keserwan97,2925,096102,388Koura63,4543,30166,755Marjaayoun-Hasbaya185,4286,423191,851Metn184,2818,434192,715Minnieh 51,852 520 52,372Nabatieh169,9665,693175,659Sidon (City) 70,211 1,606 71,817Tripoli269,1674,271273,438Tyre217,48210,593228,075West Bekaa-Rachaya162,0803,905165,985Zahle190,0576,291196,348Zahrani 130,256 6,421 136,677Zgharta83,6825,35489,036Total4,141,103144,4064,285,509Source: Directorate General of civil status &

Debate of changing the electoral law The electoral system has been a matter of significant debate within Lebanese politics. The key question is whether elections will be held under the current proportional representation system with amendments or under an entirely new law, such as the "single electoral district" proposal by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri. The proposed single electoral district system raises concerns among Christian parties and independent Christian MPs, who argue that it would significantly diminish the Christian political influence.

Lebanese living abroad

Lebanese citizens living abroad are eligible to participate in legislative elections. Although the Lebanese diaspora is estimated to number several million, a significant portion no longer holds Lebanese nationality due to decades of emigration. Registration for the 2026 elections indicated continued engagement among expatriates, building on trends observed in previous electoral cycles.

Under the 2017 electoral law, six parliamentary seats are allocated specifically for the diaspora; however, expatriate votes are still counted within their respective domestic constituencies. Voting for Lebanese abroad was organized in multiple phases, with citizens residing in Arab countries casting their ballots prior to the main election day in Lebanon, and those living in other regions voting shortly thereafter. Lebanese expatriates were reported to participate from dozens of countries worldwide.

+ Voter turnout for Lebanese living abroadElectoral DistrictDistrictVotesRegisteredTotal votesTotal Registered% ParticipationBeirut 1East Beirut5,1095,109Beirut 2West Beirut13,77713,777Bekaa 1Zahle 6,2916,291Bekaa 2Rachaya – West Bekaa3,9053,905Bekaa 3Baalbek – Hermel6,2796,279Mount Lebanon 1Keserouane 5,0969,111Byblos/Jbeil4,015Mount Lebanon 2Metn8,4348,434Mount Lebanon 3Baabda8,2008,200Mount Lebanon 4Aley5,64914,904Chouf9,255North 1Akkar4,8934,893North 2Minieh 5206,226Tripoli 4,279Denieh1,427North 3Zgharta5,35417,042Bcharre4,031Koura3,301Batroun4,356South 1Saida1,6064,947Jezzine3,341South 2Tyre10,59317,014Zahrani6,421South 3Hasbaya – Marjayoun6,42318,274Bint Jbail6,158Nabateye5,693TotalLebanon 144,406 144,406

Registered voters per country

RankCountryRegistered voters (2022)Registered voters (2026) 1 Europe 70,432 53,194 1 France 28,142 21,303 2 Germany16,17114,698 3 United Kingdom6,5353,922 4 Sweden4,0233,020 5 Belgium3,0922,593 6 Switzerland2,6012,183 7 Italy2,1281,457 8 Spain1,226722 9 Netherlands965651 10 Cyprus840 601 11 Denmark706433 12 Romania696498 13 Greece528264 14 Ukraine 341 15 Russia323261 16 Austria282243 17 Ireland233203 18 Hungary221 19 Poland215 20 Luxembourg200322 21 Belarus 172 22 Norway 162 23 Czech Republic 153 24 Portugal 148 25 Rest of Europe 329 Asia 56,874 28,655 1 UAE 25,066 12,739 2 Saudi Arabia 13,105 6,459 3 Qatar 7,344 4,562 4 Kuwait 5,760 514 5 Syria 1,018 6 Turkey 999 255 7 Oman 903 475 8 Iran 642 498 9 Bahrain 638 451 10 Jordan 483 11 Iraq 327 12 Armenia 192 13Rest of Asia397 North America 56,680 34,397 1 USA 27,982 15,345 2 Canada 27,447 18,658 3 Mexico 1,242 394 4 Rest of North America 9 Oceania 20,808 11,009 1 Australia 20,661 11,009 2 New Zealand 147 Africa 18,869 14,898 1 Ivory Coast 6,070 5,512 2 Nigeria 2,580 1,910 3 Congos 1,428 1,355 4 Ghana 1,012 885 5 Gabon 848 989 6 Sierra Leone 724 435 7 Senegal 707 514 8 Egypt 709 441 9 Benin 518 532 10 Togo 458 451 11 Zambia 409 441 12 South Africa 406 200 13 Liberia 376 218 14 Guinea 532 208 15 Angola 332 475 16 Mali 317 17 Burkina Faso 293 144 18 Morocco 248 19 Cameroon 228 188 20 Equatorial Guinea 178 21 Gambia 166 22 Rest of Africa 330 South America 4,693 2,261 1 Brazil 2,861 1,447 2 Venezuela 991 814 3 Colombia 273 4 Ecuador 219 5 Argentina 118 6 Paraguay 67 7 Rest of South America 164 Other countries 2,740figure including Lebanese registered in countries where the number of registered individuals is less than 200 : Belarus,Norway,Czech Republic, Portugal,Armenia,New Zealand, Equatorial Guinea, Gambia,Argentina,Paraguay and Other countries 12,661 Total 228,356 144,406

Online Voter Registration for the Diaspora The registration process for Lebanese expatriates to vote in the 2026 Lebanese parliamentary elections saw the launch of a new dedicated online platform by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants. The initiative aimed to significantly increase diaspora participation and streamline the logistical process for voting abroad.

Launch and Mechanism

On 2 October 2025, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants, Youssef Rajji, officially announced the opening of the digital voter registration platform. This launch was a collaborative effort with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities, designed to implement the provisions of Lebanon's electoral law concerning non-resident citizens.

The registration period commenced immediately following the announcement, running from 2 October 2025, until 20 November 2025 (midnight Beirut time). Eligible citizens (those born on or before 30 March 2005) are required to register their intent to vote at a specific Lebanese embassy or consulate in their country of residence.

The online platform, accessible via the Foreign Ministry's official website, requires applicants to provide personal details, verify their existing information on the electoral rolls, and upload mandatory documentation: A Lebanese identification document (ID card, valid or expired passport, or civil status record). A proof of residency outside Lebanon (e.g., residency permit, foreign ID, or foreign driver's license).

The platform was intended to clarify and accelerate the registration process, particularly in anticipation of a high turnout following the significant participation observed in the 2022 elections.

See also 2022–2025 Lebanese presidential election

Notes

References

External links Elections.gov.lb (official website)