The Ministry of Interior & Municipalities (MoIM) – Directorate General of Civil Status (DGCS), with the support of UNDP LEAP – funded by the EU, developed and launched on the 1st of February a public media awareness campaign to remind and encourage citizens of their legal right to inspect the accuracy of their data on the voter register before 1st of March at the municipality, the mukhtar, or by visiting www.dgcs.gov.lb or by calling 1766. Checking their data, and amending mistakes if found, will enable citizens to vote in the upcoming elections which will take place on May 6th, 2018.
The awareness campaign includes TV spot, radio spot, cinema spot, billboards visuals, social media exposure, and other communication channels.
The underlying principle of the campaign is to encourage citizens’ participation in the political and electoral process through an inclusive and transparent registration process. The target audience is all Lebanese citizens, primarily those residing in Lebanon but also including those who are non-resident, who are eligible to vote for the 2018 parliamentary elections. Thus, the campaign delivers the following messages:
- Informing voters that if they wish to vote in the 2018 parliamentary elections, they must check if they are registered;
- Providing information on the different sources/locations where voters can check their data, how/where to correct if any need;
- Motivating voters to check their inclusion on the voter register so as to maximize a participatory and inclusive electoral process;
- Motivating women, first-time voters and people with disabilities to check their registration names to encourage their participation as voters and candidates;
- Reminding voters that they must check their data between 1 February and 1 March 2018.
Watch the TV spot on Voter Registration here:
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The EU-funded UNDP Lebanese Elections Assistance Project (LEAP) started its activities in October 2012 with the main objective to strengthen the institutional capacity of the national institutions and stakeholders in terms of electoral management and administration, for the conduct of credible, periodical, transparent and inclusive elections in Lebanon.
To achieve these objectives, UNDP LEAP works closely with the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities (MoIM), responsible for electoral management, administration and overall electoral operations. The project also supports other electoral stakeholders, such as the Constitutional Council, State Council, Supervisory Commission for the Election (SCE), judicial bodies and works in close cooperation with civil society organizations (CSOs). Within this context, UNDP LEAP provides electoral technical assistance and advisory support focused on: 1) management & administration of elections; 2) supervisory commission for elections; 3) voter education; 4) electoral dispute resolution; and 5) women’s participation in elections.