On Tuesday, 04 April 2023 CE, during the month of Ramadan, a Qatari delegate visited and explored the presidential aspect of Lebanon. This comes following Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi called on the electorate to prepare for municipal and elective elections in May, while also acknowledging that financial funds need to be secured. However, the announcement of the election dates did not ease concerns of citizens, whose administrative transactions will be halted if the elections do not happen. Meanwhile, offices of mayors in Lebanon are seeing a surge of people completing delayed transactions as the possibility of not holding local elections or not renewing them looms. The Minister of State from the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, visited Lebanese officials the day prior, with the presidential election being a significant topic of discussion.
He received a Qatari delegate on a “presidential” exploratory visit
Tuesday – 13 Ramadan 1444 AH – 04 April 2023 CE Issue Number [16198]
Beirut: «Asharq Al-Awsat»
Before the debate that erupted in the Lebanese parliamentary committees meeting during the discussion of funding sources for municipal and elective elections subsided, Lebanese Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi called on the electorate to prepare for holding them during the month of May, and to “complete their preparations.” It seemed clear that the invitation of the electorate does not mean that the elections will inevitably take place, as evidenced by Mawlawi stressing that “there is insistence and intention to hold these elections, but the matter is not sufficient, because we need to secure financial funds.”
Determining the election dates did not allay the concerns of the citizens, whose administrative transactions would be halted in the event of the elections being discontinued, as the offices of the mayors in Lebanon are witnessing an unprecedented crowd to complete the delayed transactions, in anticipation of the scenario of not holding local elections or not renewing them, before the end of the term of the municipal councils and mayors on May 31. next.
In addition, the Minister of State in the Qatari Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Muhammad bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, toured the Lebanese officials yesterday (Monday), as the presidential election was a major item, without the details of the discussions being announced.
Qatari delegate to Lebanon on a “presidential” exploratory visit
As the Lebanese government continues to navigate a difficult political landscape, uncertainty over the funding and timing of the upcoming municipal and elective elections has left citizens anxious regarding the future. However, amidst these uncertainties, a Qatari delegate made an exploratory visit to discuss the presidential election with Lebanese officials. While the details of the meeting have not been revealed, it serves as a reminder that Lebanon’s political environment remains complex and unpredictable. Only time will tell what the future holds for this country and its people.