LevantX's Louay Faour interviews six expat voters, all based in the USA, UAE, Nigeria, France, Qatar and Kuwait, on their thoughts on the 2022 Lebanese Elections and asks why they will be voting for.

Lebanese editor Louay and former-Intern Ruis discuss the ongoing problems facing both Venezuela and Lebanon and how economic mismanagement and political leadership continue to damage the country.

“I am scared. I am scared a lot.”
Ester Wamgui sits on a dirt-stained mattress lying on the street outside the Kenyan Consulate of Beirut. She cradles her son Jame in her arms while she seeks shelter from the August sun in the shade of a nearby building. Her daughter Judy sits next to her drawing on a scrap of paper with a yellow highlighter.

For many patriotic Lebanese, national holidays are usually a big deal. It allows us to reconnect with our country on a day of joy and celebration amidst all the accumulated problems that it is currently facing, and learn about our rich - albeit sometimes turbulent - history. But as we commemorate Lebanon’s Independence Day this year, probably for the first time ever, the last thing I feel like doing is celebrating.

Long before its modern-day borders and its independence from colonial occupiers, warring groups have fought over the tiny strip of land that forms Lebanon today. A never-ending series of power struggles has had catastrophic consequences for the country, and today more than ever, many talented Lebanese are forced to take the difficult decision to leave.

Unlike other groups still divided along sectarian and political lines, Lebanon’s Sunnis have for years felt underrepresented and without a single strong leader. Hariri, who has traditionally been the community’s main man since the assassination of his father in 2005, has come and gone from the political scene repeatedly over the years, leaving a void no one has yet managed to fill.

Agent, traitor, Zionist. Most people in Lebanon have become very familiar with these words, which have been used to demean, intimidate, and bully those who choose to take a stand against Lebanon’s two Shiite political parties: Hezbollah and the Amal Movement.

“There is no other solution. I must travel if I want to give my wife and kids a better life and future.” Many fathers think and say so when they have no other choice and want to find a comfortable and appropriate living to their beloved ones.

عارفين من زمان. صحيح نطرنا سنين طويلة لقرار المحكمة الخاصة بلبنان يصدر، بس المجرم معروف وتعايشنا معه لأننا مجبورين. مجبورين نتعايش مع فريق يؤمن بمنطق الإلغاء، منطق الاستقواء، منطق المكابرة بقوة سلاحه غير الشرعي، بمنطق التخوين والاتهام بالعمالة

Power tends to corrupt. Principles are put aside or buried all together, stances differ, and, quite frankly, hypocrisy becomes obvious.