Critical Meeting in Baabda Wednesday: Government to Consider Amending Electoral Law

Lebanon Today

The Presidency of the Council of Ministers has extended an official invitation to the esteemed Ministers to attend an extraordinary session of the Council of Ministers.

The session will be held on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 11:30 AM.

The session will take place at the Presidential Palace located in Baabda.

The session aims to discuss a busy agenda, which includes fourteen main items.

These items include various political, legislative, security, health, and agricultural files.

According to the official invitation issued and signed by the Secretary-General of the Council of Ministers, Judge: “Mahmoud Makieh,” which includes the full agenda, two main items stand out.

The two items relate to two requests submitted by the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Interior, which aim to amend the electoral law No. 44/2017.

This step is a clear indication of the government’s determination to revive the electoral file, after a long period of stagnation and deadlock.

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants requests approval of an urgent draft law aimed at amending some provisions of the law on the election of members of Parliament.

In contrast, the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities has submitted another urgent draft law to amend Article 84 of the same law, which is the article related to the deadlines and administrative procedures related to the electoral process.

In addition to this important political item, the session agenda includes other essential files, most notably:

A draft decree submitted by the Ministry of Energy and Water to amend some agreements and decrees related to the oil sector, with the delegation of authority to the Minister to sign.

A defense cooperation agreement between Lebanon and the United Kingdom.

An agricultural memorandum of understanding with the State of Algeria.

Appointments and functional affairs in a number of public administrations.

Additional items include issues of a humanitarian and developmental nature, including:

Determining a mechanism for paying assistance related to the damages resulting from the Israeli aggression that followed October 8, 2023.

A cooperation project between the Ministry of Public Health and the Lebanese University aimed at establishing a central laboratory.

A request submitted by the Ministry of Culture to regulate the use of metal detectors in order to protect archaeological sites.

The financial and organizational items include:

Approval of the export and import of weapons for the benefit of the Internal Security Forces.

Regulating the import and export of wheat flour.

Granting some customs exemptions to some official bodies.

Approving participation in foreign conferences at the expense of the concerned administrations or at the expense of the inviting party.

The items related to the elections are the most prominent on the session’s agenda, as they reveal a new government direction towards amending the current electoral law.

This amendment aims to pave the way for relaunching preparations for the upcoming parliamentary elections, in light of a tense political atmosphere and internal division over the future of the democratic process in the country.