October 25, 2026
Representative Jamil Al-Sayyid raised a new political controversy regarding the parliamentary elections, linking the call of President Joseph Aoun to hold by-elections in the Western Bekaa to fill the seat vacant by the death of MP Ghassan Al-Sakaf, and the decision to extend the current House of Representatives until May 2028. Al-Sayyid considered that allowing the organization of a by-election in the current circumstances raises fundamental questions about the legitimacy of postponing general elections throughout the country.
In a tweet posted on the “X” platform, Al-Sayed indicated that Parliament extended its term for two years under the pretext of exceptional circumstances in Lebanon. He pointed out that these conditions are present in the Western Bekaa, where the front villages, starting from Mashghara and reaching other areas, witness repeated Israeli attacks and daily displacement operations.
In the context of his position, Al-Sayyid addressed the government and asked: “If, despite all that, it is permissible to hold elections today in the Western Bekaa, why does the government not send a draft law to cancel the current extension of the House of Representatives and hold parliamentary elections at the level of all of Lebanon?” He concluded his questions by emphasizing that the standards that apply to the Western Bekaa Valley apply to the entire Lebanese territory.
This position comes to re-shed light on the issue of the vacant seat in the Western Bekaa, amid the continuing political and legal division over the extension of Parliament’s mandate and the security justifications relied upon to postpone the general elections, which opens the door to a wide debate about the extent of the contradiction between holding by-elections and the continued extension of the Legislative Council.
