Al-saddi: Energy and Water Minister Joe Al-Saddi asserted that “the government’s position is clear: it upholds the right of Lebanese expatriates to vote from their places of residence for the 128 parliamentary seats, each according to their registered address in Lebanon.”

According to National news agency – Lebanon, Al-Saddi, speaking via “Radio Free Lebanon,” emphasized the government’s commitment to allowing expatriates to participate in Lebanon’s parliamentary elections. He stated, “We insist on this principle. We cannot rely on expatriates to help us by sending money to Lebanon while simultaneously denying them the right to express their opinions through proper parliamentary representation.”

He further elaborated that the cabinet has already submitted a draft law to Parliament to ensure this right. However, he admitted uncertainty about the law’s fate in Nejmeh Square, the parliamentary seat.

When questioned about Lebanon’s power supply issues, Al-Saddi candidly remarked, “We must be frank with the Lebanese people: the production capacity of €š¬…¡¬‚¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬¦¡¬‚¬Å¡¬€¦¡¬¦¡¬°lectricit© du Liban (EDL) cannot provide more than 8 to 10 hours of electricity per day, even with the required fuel supply and no breakdowns or maintenance work.” He suggested that the long-term solution involves attracting investors to build modern power plants by rebuilding trust and establishing relationships with these investors.

Regarding the water supply challenges, Al-Saddi noted, “The problems in the water sector are much worse than the problems in the electricity sector.” He explained that while electricity issues can be resolved by building more power plants, solving water supply problems requires establishing infrastructure, which is a more time-consuming process. He mentioned that water institutions are developing annual plans to manage drought seasons, including utilizing public wells and promoting water conservation.

The Minister also commented on the intense scrutiny the Ministry of Energy faces, attributing it to the failures that have affected the ministry over the past 15 years. He speculated, “It seems the election season has started early this year.”