The president of Supervisory committee for Elections judge Nadim Abdul Malak expressed to the European parliament delegation led by MP Pedros Marcos that the SCE has the right to supervise 2022 parliamentary Elections and it faced in the past many obstacles and overcame most of them.
Abdul Malak noticed that:
SCE Tasks are permanent and continuous by the law 44\2017 and didn’t stop since the members proceeded their mission.
In his presentation Abdul Malak clarifies the
current situation of the Supervisory Commission for Elections
- The SCE Challenges.
- The SCE readiness and Future Agenda towards the upcoming Lebanese Parliamentary Elections in the year 2022.
• Current Situation of SCE:
- Lack of Lease locality contract: Not approved yet from the Minister of Finance in order to be signed by the Minister of Interior & Municipalities.
- Lack of Budget for the year of 2021 and the year 2022 not approved yet and SCE is following the two budgets.
- Lack of money for SCE office expenses: SCE is poor, no single Lira is paid to it neither to its members since the beginning of the year 2020.
- Absence of members of SCE : As per the law of elections 44\2017 , the SCE Members no. should be 11 , now we are 8 : One joined the constitutional Council , second is being in implicit resignation “didn’t show after Elections 2018”, and the third is working outside Lebanon , The quorum required 7 members for meeting and decisions which still exists.
- The contracts of the three clerks were extended to the end of the year 2021.
• Serious SCE Challenges:
- Mainly Financial and Logistic and can be solved if we:
_ Apply the SCE recommendations mentioned in its report after general Elections 2018.
_Apply the Recommendations of the European Union after the Elections 2018.
_Apply the recommendations in the workshops in year 2019 between SEC & UNDP, “Strategic planning Exercise”.
_amendment in the law 44\2017 concerning SCE and its Powers to have :
a. Complete Administrative and Financial independence with a budget not related with the budget of MOIM .
b. Have moral personality for suing.
c. Have declarative and executive powers to execute its decisions on the ground by a body following it.
• SCE Readiness towards Parliamentary Elections 2022.
- SCE faced in the past many obstacles and overcame almost them.
In this manner, I would like to mention four remarks:
1. SCE Tasks is permanent and continuous by the law 44\2017 and didn’t stop since the members proceeded their mission after oath.
2. Current SCE has the right to supervise the upcoming elections in the year 2022 and already supervised the by-elections in Tripoli and Tyr in the year 2019.
3. SCE can begin the executive procedure to observe the upcoming Elections when the decree of “summon of the Electoral Bodies” is signed by the authorities and promulgated in the gazette.
4. To help SCE to accomplish 2022 mentioned previously.
- After the General Elections 2018 , the SCE puts a future agenda for the enterprises which wants to achieve, and notify the European Union and UNDP & Minister of Interior and Municipalities.
- SCE participated to 9 workshops, the last one was since one month ago , with the Civil Society.
- But Due to the current situation in Lebanon , we didn’t continue to do more.
- Planning to execute the following events:
_Training media observers .
_ Seminar with the Minister of Interior and Municipalities to clarify coordination with SCE.
_ Seminar with the constitutional council.
_ Seminar with the Media Agents.
_ Seminar with the National & International Stakeholders interesting in elections.
o Seminar with the Minister of Education dealing with electoral Education and civil culture specially for students above 18 years old.
_Press conference puts spotlights on SCE, role and goals.
Finally, he thanked the European Union for the assistance and support towards SCE.