NNA - The European Union welcomes the holding of parliamentary elections in Lebanon on 15 May. We commend the Lebanese people, those who voted and those who were involved in preparing and implementing the electoral process, for their civic participation, despite the difficult political, economic and social circumstances surrounding these elections.

We also commend the state security forces for their contribution to maintain a calm and safe environment overall, and help in ensuring that the elections were conducted without major security incidents.

The EU has contributed to making these elections possible, by providing extensive technical assistance to the Electoral Management Bodies and dispatching an Election Observation Mission (EOM).

The EU EOM issued today its preliminary statement of findings. It noted that the electoral system, irregularities and vote-buying resulted in a lack of level playing field. A final report will follow.

We expect the newly elected Parliament to support the process of a swift formation of a government, assume its responsibility to work together to serve the interest of Lebanon and its people by adopting all legislation and implementing reforms necessary to improve governance and stabilise the economy, in particular to contribute to the implementation of the prior actions required in the Staff Level Agreement of 7 April in order to initiate an IMF programme.

We reiterate our expectation that presidential and municipal elections will be held according to schedule, in line with Lebanon’s democratic principles, traditions, and commitments. The EU will continue to stand by Lebanon and its people.

===============R.H.