Lebanon Calls for Clarifications on Suspension of Voting Rights at UN

Abdallah Bou Habib. (National News Agency)  
Abdallah Bou Habib. (National News Agency)  
TT

Lebanon Calls for Clarifications on Suspension of Voting Rights at UN

Abdallah Bou Habib. (National News Agency)  
Abdallah Bou Habib. (National News Agency)  

Lebanese caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Abdallah Bou Habib has asked for clarifications from the United Nations on the suspension of Lebanon’s rights to vote before the expiry of the extended deadline to pay its contribution to the UN.

Bou Habib met on Monday with the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronecka, and her deputy Imran Riza, the UN Humanitarian Coordinator in Lebanon.

They followed up on the issue of Lebanon paying its dues to the operating budget of the international organization.

Bou Habib said that "the Lebanese mission in New York had previously been informed by the Contributions Office to the United Nations of extending the payment deadline, in which Lebanon would maintain its voting rights until the end of January 2023."

He called for "clarifications on the reason for the change that occurred and the suspension of voting rights before the expiry of the period referred to above."

Bou Habib added that Lebanon is bearing the burden of the Syrian refugees on behalf of the international community and expects a different attitude from those who praise it for hosting the displaced.



Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
TT

Tunisia Groups Urge Inclusion of Rejected Candidates in Poll

FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: Tunisian President Kais Saied attends a signing ceremony with Chinese President Xi Jinping (not pictured) at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China May 31, 2024. REUTERS/Tingshu Wang/Pool/File Photo/File Photo

A petition signed by prominent Tunisians and civil society groups was published on Saturday urging that rejected candidates be allowed to stand in the October 6 presidential election, Agence France Presse reported.

Signed by 26 groups including Legal Agenda, Lawyers Without Borders and the Tunisian Human Rights League, it welcomed an administrative court decision this week to reinstate three candidates who had been disqualified.

They are Imed Daimi, who was an adviser to former president Moncef Marzouki, former minister Mondher Zenaidi and opposition party leader Abdellatif Mekki.

The three were among 14 candidates barred by the Tunisian election authority, ISIE, from standing in the election.

If they do take part, they will join former parliamentarian Zouhair Maghzaoui and businessman Ayachi Zammel in challenging incumbent President Kais Saied.

Saturday's petition was also signed by more than 180 civil society figures including Wahid Ferchichi, dean of the public law faculty at Carthage University.

It called the administrative court "the only competent authority to adjudicate disputes related to presidential election candidacies.”

The petition referred to statements by ISIE head Farouk Bouasker, who on Thursday indicated that the authority will soon meet to finalize the list of candidates, "taking into consideration judicial judgements already pronounced.”

This has been interpreted as suggesting the ISIE may reject new candidacies if they are the subject of legal proceedings or have convictions.

The administrative court's rulings on appeals "are enforceable and cannot be contested by any means whatsoever,” the petition said.

It called on the electoral authority to "respect the law and avoid any practice that could undermine the transparency and integrity of the electoral process.”