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Ibrahim
Jouhari](/sites/default/files/styles/uv_teaser/public/2021-06/ibrahimjouhari.jpg?itok=9s3-6TEV)
Ibrahim Jouhari
Short vita
Ibrahim Jouhari is a Senior Analyst and University Lecturer, with a keen interest in elections and electoral reforms.
Ibrahim Jouhari is a Senior Analyst and University Lecturer, with a keen interest in elections and electoral reforms.
During the pre-war period, Lebanon was considered an oasis of liberalism, but only when compared to its neighbors and the rest of the Arab world. In today’s world, Lebanon can no longer rely on relative freedom. It needs to start a series of urgent and profound liberal reforms in most sectors to increase its competitiveness and unleash its people’s entrepreneurial spirit.
With significant help from the international community, channeled through the efforts of UNDP
Leap and other agencies, the elections happened without any major logistical problems. Some
polling centers had electricity cuts, others faced long queues, and there was some hiccups in the
expatriates’ voting procedures with long lines reported in several countries, but the process was
brought to fruition and the votes were cast and then counted.
On April 7, the final number of electoral lists for the 2022 parliamentary elections were announced. 103 lists were officially registered, vying for 128 parliamentary seats in 15 districts. This year's elections has witnessed an unprecedented number of candidates, reaching 1,043 in comparison to previous years.
The turnout of the expatriate voters has been above average, topping 63.05% overall, up from 56.4% in 2018. In absolute numbers, the votes rose from 46,799 in 2018 to 142,041 in 2022, almost reaching three times the number of votes in 2018. It is safe to say that the expatriates have delivered. The ball is now in the hands of the 3,744,959 Lebanese registered to vote locally.