The Electoral Reform Coalition fears that bringing the issue of the megacenter to the table less than three months before the elections would pave the way for postponing the elections under various pretexts, including “technical” ones. Despite the relentless demand for the necessity of adopting the megacenter in any election because of its positive impact on voter participation in the electoral process, especially the most marginalized groups such as persons with disabilities, and alleviating the pressure exerted on male and female voters in light of the current economic and living conditions that may prevent voters from reaching the polling stations due to the unprecedented cost of transportation, the coalition recalls the following:

1. The coalition has always emphasized the need to adopt legal and technical reforms that contribute to the democratization of elections and their process, including the Independent Electoral Administration (IEA), the megacenter, and others, but these demands have been ignored or not “politically agreed upon.” However, these demands have been met with a lack of political consensus.
2. The coalition emphasizes its rejection of linking the megacenter to the magnetic card because of its high financial cost on the one hand, and in order not to be used by candidates and lists as a tool of pressure on voters by reserving them before polling day.
3. Polling stations should meet specific standards in accordance with Article 98 of Law 220/2000 on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and Article 96 of Electoral Law 44/2017, as detailed in Executive Decree 2214/2009 (2) on facilitating the voting process for voters with disabilities in order to preserve their human dignity.
4. The coalition has long called on the electoral administration and the parliament to adopt the mechanism of pre-registration of voters wishing to vote in the megacenter, just like the procedures for registering non-residents on Lebanese territory, but this procedure today, less than three months before the election date, requires a legal amendment to the deadlines associated with the electoral lists that were previously frozen on February 1, which raises a serious question about ignoring these demands over time and leaving the discussion of the megacenter until the last minute and until after the deadlines have expired!

The Electoral Reform Coalition believes that if there were no real political will, reforms, whether legal or technical, would not have been left until the eve of the elections to be put on the table for discussion and to determine their fate. The coalition emphasizes that all political, logistical, and technical challenges that stand in the way of democratizing the electoral process must be overcome, while respecting legal and constitutional deadlines, specifically the holding of elections on time.