Abdel Hakim Balkhair, a member of the High National Elections Commission (HNEC), announced that the commission received financial support of 10 million dinars from the government led by Osama Hamad to facilitate municipal council elections. He added that the Government of National Unity, headed by Abdel Hamid Dbeibeh, had promised to allocate funding for the commission but has yet to deliver any funds.
In a statement to Fawasel, Balkhair explained that the commission is currently carrying out its tasks using the financial allocations provided by the appointed government, along with other remaining funds in the commission’s treasury. He expressed hope that the Government of National Unity will provide support in the upcoming stages of the electoral process.
Regarding the progress of the electoral process, Balkhair noted that after the closure of the voter registry for the sixty municipal councils, the commission will begin the phase of printing and distributing electoral cards. He mentioned that voters with previous cards will be allowed to use them, while new cards will be printed for those without existing ones.
He clarified that the next steps will include publishing the preliminary voter lists at the electoral centers, opening the door for appeals, and awaiting court decisions on these appeals before releasing the final voter lists.
Balkhair concluded by stating that once the voter lists are finalized, the registration for candidates will open, followed by the appeals process for candidate lists, leading to the final stage of the electoral process, which includes the election campaign period and then the voting process.