The Legislation and Consultation Authority issued a response to Interior Minister Ahmed Al-Hajjar’s inquiry about expatriate voting, confirming that they have the right to vote for all 128 representatives from abroad.
This opinion comes in the midst of a heated debate about the upcoming parliamentary elections and how expatriates vote, at a time when the Minister of Interior and Municipalities, Ahmed Al-Hajjar, insists that the elections will be held on their constitutional date, and that the state is obligated to conduct them within the specified legal frameworks.
Al-Hajjar had confirmed that his ministry had begun implementing the applicable articles of the electoral law, considering that the laws could be divided, with what could be implemented being applied and what was technically impossible being excluded. In this context, nominations were opened for 128 deputies, and alternative plans were developed to confront various possible scenarios, with an emphasis on full adherence to deadlines and procedures.
In parallel, the Minister of the Interior referred a consultation to the Legislation and Consultation Authority to provide its non-binding legal opinion, especially with regard to the expatriate voting mechanism and the 16th district, given the need for implementation decrees and special governmental and parliamentary approval in this regard.
He explained that the issue of the magnetic card does not constitute a major obstacle to holding elections if it cannot be implemented technically, stressing that any delay or violation of constitutional deadlines will lead to an unacceptable legislative vacuum.
This discussion falls within a broader context related to the right of voters at home and abroad to participate in parliamentary elections, with repeated official confirmation that they cannot be deprived of exercising their democratic right, and that the elections will be held on time regardless of the political clamor.
