'The Forces' and the Kataeb Against Any 'Technical Postponement' and the Progressive Party Supports a Settlement and Elections in Summer

Lebanese political tensions remain intense regarding the parliamentary elections scheduled for May 2026, amid conflicting proposals, while the fate of the electoral milestone hangs in the balance due to numerous challenges. These include the continued obstruction of expatriates' right to participate in electing 128 deputies and the lack of political consensus so far, despite a purposeful attempt at a political settlement proposing a technical postponement until July 2026. However, this proposal does not receive approval from sovereign forces such as the "Lebanese Forces," which reject the technical postponement and insist on holding the elections in May 2026 to prevent any postponement from becoming the start of a maneuver by the "Shia duo" followed by a proposal to extend the parliament for years.

According to official media of the "Lebanese Forces," the principled position that elections must take place in May 2026 cannot be broken, but responsibility for obstructing expatriates' participation in electing 128 deputies must be placed on those who blocked it, and parliamentary elections should proceed on time.

Member of the "Strong Republic" bloc, MP Razi Al-Hajj, told "An-Nahar" that "there is a distancing from the idea of considering a technical postponement, which would threaten the entire parliamentary elections. Any change is illogical, and we will not proceed with the logic of settlements."

The Kataeb Party also opposes a technical postponement, prioritizing pressure to include expatriates as well as residents in electing 128 deputies, and will not open the door to a settlement. The Kataeb and the "Forces" agree on their discomfort with the technical postponement proposal, and the Kataeb rejects easily resorting to a settlement because it fears an uneven game between powerful politicians and those unable to bring expatriates to vote in Lebanon if the elections are technically postponed for two months.

Meanwhile, the Progressive Socialist Party is trying to mediate and reach a settlement for a technical postponement. MP Bilal Abdullah told "An-Nahar": "There is no problem with a technical postponement until July 2026, which is considered a logical solution. Performance must improve first and foremost, and amendments to the electoral law must be reached within weeks and a session held to approve the amendments. There is coordination among political forces behind the scenes, and we are preliminarily talking about reaching a political settlement in which no party feels that the other has been broken, while maintaining the minimum participation of expatriates who visit Lebanon in the summer in electing 128 deputies from Lebanon."

There is no consensus on how to implement the technical postponement proposal. Deputy Speaker of the Parliament Elias Bou Saab, after meeting with President Michel Aoun, considered that an electoral law cannot be approved without political consensus. However, he said from the presidential palace podium that "there is a tendency to reopen deadlines, which means a technical postponement of the elections in any case."

According to Bou Saab, reopening deadlines means that elections cannot be held before August 2026 because technically, reopening deadlines means elections cannot be held before August.

What next? What could happen? Ultimately, the "Forces" do not lean toward the proposal that expatriates vote from inside Lebanon when some of them visit their country in the summer. MP Al-Hajj considers it "important to uphold the right to equality between residents and expatriates and to respect the Lebanese constitution and the internal regulations of the Parliament. President Michel Aoun must send a message to the Parliament with tight deadlines demanding the preservation of constitutional dates and holding elections on time. Media, political, constitutional, and legal pressure is important, or we will face a comprehensive coup against the democratic system in Lebanon."