Lebanon sets May 15 election day for parliamentary polls

[December 27, 2021]    BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon has set its parliamentary election for May 15, 2022, an interior ministry statement said.

People walk outside the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon November 7, 2017. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Expatriate voters will cast ballots on either May 6 or May 8 depending on their country of residence, the statement said.

Lebanon's parliament had in October voted to hold early elections on March 27, but President Michel Aoun said he would not accept the early date.

The elections are expected to be hotly contested amid widespread anger in Lebanon over an economic meltdown that has seen the currency lose more than 90% of its value since 2019 and worsened poverty significantly.

(Reporting by Timour Azhari; Editing by Bernadette Baum)

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