More than 100,000 Lebanese living abroad cast ballots for parliamentary elections on Friday and Sunday.

Some 225,000 Lebanese living overseas were eligible to participate in the elections in more than 50 countries, the first since Lebanon’s 2019 financial collapse and the port blast that killed more than 215 people and destroyed large parts of Beirut in August, 2020.

Overall turnout in overseas voting was around 60%, foreign ministry official Hadi Hachem told Reuters, or some 130,000 people.

That is roughly three times as many as during the last polls, in 2018.

Voters in Lebanon will cast their ballots on May 15.

The ballot papers will be shipped back to Lebanon and stored at the central bank before being counted on election day.

Source: Agencies