Elias Bejjani/Nabih Berri, the Thug is No Superman to Deprive Expats of Their Right to Vote, Instead, those Politicians who falsely claim sovereignty are the castrated and the despised
Elias Bejjani/June 30/ 2025
Click Here to read and listen to the Arabic version of this piece/اضغط هنا لقراء المقالة ومشاهدة الفيديو بالعربية
In a dangerous precedent added to the record of political heresies in Lebanon, Article 122 of the election law, approved by the Parliament on June 14, 2017, constituted a stain on the forehead of every MP who condoned the passage of this monstrous text, which has no parallel in any democratic system in the world. The allocation of six seats for Lebanese expatriates distributed across the six continents, instead of allowing them to vote in their original constituencies as dictated by any democratic logic, is a deliberate exclusion and a blatant conspiracy against a wide segment of the Lebanese diaspora that still believes in Lebanon as a state and has borne the burdens of a stricken nation for decades.
Those who approved this law in 2017 either lacked the minimum national and political vision, or they were simply complicit with the corrupt class that aims to deprive Lebanese expatriates of effective participation in decision-making. It is noteworthy that this monstrous and unconstitutional law is fundamentally unenforceable and was deliberately put in place to prevent Lebanese expatriates from influencing election results, as they live in true democratic countries and are difficult to buy or have their will falsified.
Text of Article 122 of Election Law No. 44/2017
“Six seats shall be allocated to Lebanese expatriates, to be added to the number of members of Parliament, making the total number 134 deputies, in the electoral cycle following the first cycle held in accordance with the provisions of this law. The six deputies shall be distributed among the six continents as follows:
One deputy for the continent of Africa
One deputy for the continent of North America
One deputy for the continent of South America
One deputy for the continent of Europe
One deputy for the continent of Australia
One deputy for the continent of Asia
In the distribution of these seats, parity between Christians and Muslims shall be observed, so that:
One seat is allocated for Maronites
One seat for Greek Orthodox
One seat for Catholics
One seat for Sunnis
One seat for Shiites
One seat for Druze
The mechanism for nomination, voting, and special electoral districts for expatriates shall be determined by a decree issued by the Council of Ministers based on the proposal of the Ministers of Interior and Foreign Affairs. Six seats shall be deducted from the 128 Parliament seats in the subsequent cycle, from the seats belonging to the same sects that were allocated to non-residents.”
Berri Prevents Change and Protects the System of Exclusion
Today, in a new scandal confirming the continuation of political dominance and thuggery, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, who has been entrenched in the presidential chair for forty years, refused to list an urgent, repeated draft law signed by 68 MPs to amend Article 122 and demand equality for expatriates with residents in their electoral rights. This refusal is the first of its kind in thirty years, and it is neither innocent nor procedural, but a deliberate decision to protect the interests of the system that has led Lebanon to this ruin.
Berri’s refusal was not an organizational rejection, but a clear cry to Lebanese expatriates around the world, telling them: “We do not want you as partners; you are a threat to our corruption and continuity.” Some MPs withdrew from the session in protest, rejecting this tyranny, but it was not enough. A firmer stance is required.
In today’s scene, Berri was not alone in exercising authoritarianism; he was supported by the political chameleon Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, allied with the terrorist Hezbollah, and sanctioned under the US Magnitsky Act due to his corruption. Bassil, who has always exploited Christian rights, turned against them, just as his uncle Michel Aoun did before him, when they sold Lebanon for empty power and a tainted chair.
MPs and Parties Who Betrayed Expats
The scandal does not stop at Berri’s behavior; its roots go back to 2017, when Parliament approved the ominous Article 122. At that time, both the “Free Patriotic Movement” and the “Lebanese Forces” agreed to the law, even though it stripped the Christian expatriate, who is numerically dominant among expatriates, of his constitutional right to vote like residents. Only the Kataeb Party rejected this article in defense of principle, equality, and the constitution. How can two parties claiming to defend the Christian presence in Lebanon agree to a law that specifically isolates Christian expatriates? The answer is simple: the ambition for deals and positions was and still is stronger than principles, and the result is that Christians were deceived once again, losing the opportunity to defend their role through their sons in the diaspora.
Call for Resignation and Accountability for Nabih Berri
The 68 MPs who signed the draft amendment to Article 122 are now required to either resign from this council dominated by a sectarian thug named Nabih Berri, or at least withdraw confidence from him. Continuing to deal with him as Speaker of Parliament legitimizes tyranny and a coup against the will of the people. These MPs should know that complicity with Bassil, Berri, and Hezbollah is participation in treason, and that Lebanese people at home and abroad will not forget or forgive.
Lebanese Voices Against Tyranny
We conclude this article with a number of tweets circulated by Lebanese citizens today via social media expressing their indignation:
“The biggest robbery of the constitutional right of Lebanese expatriates”
“Nabih Berri prevents Lebanese expatriates from voting because they cannot be bought”
“Gebran Bassil stabs Christians again in defense of his ally Hezbollah”
“Parliament has become a farce in the hands of Berri and the mini-state”
“We need to liberate Parliament just as we need to liberate the homeland”
A final word to expatriates: stand firm, hold together, and trust that your voice will not be silenced for long. The sun of freedom will shine again, and everyone who betrayed the national and constitutional trust will be held accountable.
نص قانون انتخاب أعضاء مجلس النواب اللبناني الذي أقر في 14 حزيران عام 2017
