Parliament postpones legislative elections by two years

Parliament on Monday postponed legislative elections, initially due to be held in May, by two years, according to a statement from the parliament speaker, due to the war between Israel and Iran-backed group Hezbollah.

MPs convened on Monday including Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, even as Israeli warplanes flew above the nearby southern suburbs of Beirut.

76 legislators voted in favor, 41 voted against, and four abstained. Hezbollah’s 13-member bloc in parliament voted in favor of the extension.

The Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb, the Free Patriotic Movement, and some change MPs voted against the extension. They say elections can be postponed until the war ends, but not necessarily for two years.

The ongoing war with Israel that began last week has displaced over half a million people and made it difficult to hold a vote in large parts of the country. The parliamentary elections were scheduled for May.