https://www.facebook.com/lebanese.forces.official.page/videos/10156544000145312/
Today’s most important headline is the voting of expats, it’s an important event because for the first time the Lebanese expats are able to vote from their country of residence, a step that was forbidden by the Syrian occupation after 1990, and was not implemented due to the internal political divisions after the second independence. This event is important for the following reasons.
First, The expats are an essential part of the country and should not be treated as foreigners, or restrict their role to financial assistance only. What is required is to make them feel that they play an important role in the political life and that they are involved in choosing who governs, there should be no differentiating between a Lebanese living in Lebanon and another living abroad, where the first has the right to vote, and the other has no right in making the needed change.
Second, Expats votes are purely political, because they cannot be threatened or bribed, they do not care about any employment or service, and they cannot be pressured, therefore they choose based on national convictions, and this is exactly why the Syrian occupation did not allow this step.
Third, the expats who are voting this election are a motivation for the rest to vote in the upcoming elections in 2022, meaning that this dynamic will lead to more expats being involved in the Lebanese political life, marking a great victory for Lebanon.
Forth, we can not ignore the expats’ role in influencing foreign policies, including them in the elections process integrates their role in defending Lebanon wherever they are with their role in moving the country forward to becoming what we all dream of.
It remains to say that what happened is an achievement for the ongoing struggle the Lebanese Forces is leading to involve expats in political life and unite all efforts in serving the Lebanese cause.