Note: The Electoral Lab project - launched by the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Lebanon - has come to an end. The project ran from April to November 2022.

​About the Electoral Lab
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The Electoral Lab is a research initiative launched by the AUB Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation (FNF) Lebanon. The lab aims to raise awareness about political discourse around elections both in content and form in Lebanon and the region. It seeks to highlight important thematical subjects that are rarely discussed during the electoral cycle and increasing public awareness of the importance of public data, especially electoral results. This initiative focuses on three main themes: conversation and dialogue with different political stakeholders, deep thematical analysis, and spreading awareness and availability of open electoral data. 

Sunni Voting Trends

The voting trends of the Sunni community played a crucial and multi-layered role in shaping the balance of political power in the 2022 Parliament. This paper will explore how the Sunnis voted, their turnout, their political affiliation, and the factors that impacted these trends. This research is part of a series of in-depth research papers on the 2022 parliamentary elections, led by the Electoral Lab at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy and International Affairs (IFI) at the American University of Beirut, with the support of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Lebanon (FNF).

​Read the full paper here

Expatriates Voting Analysis

The expatriates’ vote in the 2022 Lebanese parliamentary elections has been a frequently-discussed topic, with respect to its impact on the results and the role it played helping the Change Movement and independent groups secure additional seats. As part of a series of in-depth research papers on the 2022 parliamentary elections, the Electoral Lab at IFI drew an analysis of the voting trends of the Lebanese Expats or the Out of Country Vote (OCV) and developed important findings and conclusions. The full paper, written by Ibrahim Jouhari, Lead Advisor of the Electoral Lab at IFI, is now available.

​Read the full paper here.

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​Post Elections Parliamentary Indicators

With significant help from the international community, channeled through the efforts of UNDP Leap and other agencies, the elections happened without any major logistical problems. To know more, check this article by Ibrahim Jouhari, Lead Advisor of the Electoral Lab at IFI. 

​Read more. 

Expats Turnout Analysis
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The turnout of the expatriate voters has been above average, topping 63.05% overall, up from 56.4% in 2018. In absolute numbers, the votes rose from 46,799 in 2018 to 142,041 in 2022, almost reaching three times the number of votes in 2018. To know more, check this article by Ibrahim Jouhari, Lead Advisor of the Electoral Lab at IFI.

​Read more. 

Early Indicators from the Expatriates Voting​

The parliamentary electoral process in Lebanon begins today, starting with the expatriates voting worldwide. The voting will take place over two days, Friday and Sunday and will occur in 59 countries, up from 40 in 2018. To know more, check this article by Ibrahim Jouhari, Lead Advisor of the Electoral Lab at IFI.

​Read more. 

Infographics | Electoral lists: What do the numbers really mean?

A series of infographics about Lebanon's 2022 elections that illustrate the increase in the number of candidates and the witnessed changes between 2018 and 2022, among others. The infographics are based on an analysis by Ibrahim Jouhari, Lead Advisor of the Electoral Lab at IFI.

​Read more. 

Electoral Lists Analysis

Why did some districts in Lebanon witness an increase in the number of electoral lists? How did PM Saad Hariri and Future Movement's withdrawal from the elections impact this increase?  Answers to this questions and more in this analysis prepared by Ibrahim Jouhari, Lead Advisor of the Electoral Lab at IFI.

​Read more.