Aoun Signs Decree Setting Dates of Parliamentary Elections

President Michel Aoun on Monday signed a decree setting the dates of the parliamentary elections that will be held in the spring, the country's first in nine years.

The decree also carries the signatures of Prime Minister Saad Hariri and Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq.

It sets the date of elections inside Lebanon for May 6. Poll workers will meanwhile vote on May 3 while expats residing in Arab states will cast their ballots on April 27 and those living in the Americas, Europe and Africa will vote on April 29.

Aoun had earlier in the day stressed that “the parliamentary elections will be held on time,” describing the vote as “a red line for the safety of both democracy and the republic.”

“In these elections, the Lebanese must express their correct choices that would lead to the election of those who truly reflect their aspirations and hopes, especially that the electoral law achieves fair representation for all Lebanese from all religions, sects and affiliations,” the president said, referring to the new electoral law, which will be based on proportional representation for the first time in Lebanon's history.

“This was not present in the winner-takes-all law that had been first endorsed prior to Lebanon's independence,” he added.