Project Watan Calls for Bold Decisions that Protect the Entity and Safeguard Elections

Project Watan’s Executive Board held its weekly meeting, chaired by MP Neemat Frem and attended by all members, to review the latest developments. The following statement was issued afterward:

• Project Watan believes that the document presented by U.S. envoy Tom Barrack to Lebanese officials clearly reflects the international community’s firm stance toward Lebanon. It includes an explicit call for a unified position and the formulation of a clear vision for the path that must be taken in the coming days.

The greatest danger lies in the potential exploitation of the current sluggishness in committing to and swiftly implementing the provisions of Resolution 1701. This could serve as a carefully laid trap that sidelines Lebanon from the regional equation and threatens the very foundations of the Lebanese entity.

We are at the heart of a fateful turning point that requires us, as Lebanese, to make decisive national choices and rise to the level of the challenges we face. We must demonstrate to the world – both in words and in deeds – that we are a state striving to build a sovereign nation, independent in its decision-making and political choices.

• The participants strongly condemned the explosion that targeted the Greek Orthodox St. Elias Church in Syria, affirming that terrorism has no religion or identity. They expressed hope that Christians in the region would not once again fall victim to the volatility of the current phase and its accompanying changes and malicious schemes.

They called on the Syrian state not only to announce the arrest of the perpetrators and planners, but also to fully assume its responsibilities in protecting the Christian presence on its soil and ensuring its security, stability, and freedom.

• The Executive Board emphasized the need to develop the current electoral law, given its three major shortcomings:
• First, the issue of expatriates’ right to vote for all 128 MPs as a permanent and established right;
• Second, the absence of the magnetic voting card, which is a necessary tool to ensure transparency and integrity;
• And third, the failure to activate the megacenter, which would facilitate the voting process and boost turnout.

Without addressing these issues, doubts will only deepen regarding the seriousness of holding elections that truly reflect the Lebanese people’s aspirations for a new and different era – thus jeopardizing the entire electoral process.

In light of this, the Board extends a sincere call to all concerned parties to reaffirm the acquired right of Lebanese expatriates to express their deep-rooted belonging and unwavering commitment to their homeland.

The participants also expressed hope that, after the adoption of amendments to the current law, a working session would be launched to develop a new electoral law that takes into account the election of a Senate alongside the Parliament, in a way that guarantees fair representation.