Jumblat Says Biometric Cards 'Additional Waste of Money'

Progressive Socialistic Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said Saturday it would be needless to squander more public funds for the issuance of biometric voter cards, and has called instead for establishing garbage sorting plants before a major landfill for the Beirut area approaches its absorptive capacity.

“Biometric cards is an extra waste of money. Let the focus be on a modern sorting plant for the capital and its suburbs. Investment in the environment is a priority,” said Jumblat in a tweet.

Jumblat's remarks come in light of cabinet divisions over whether the government should approve the creation of biometric identity cards to be used in the May 6, 2018 parliamentary elections.

Reports have said that an amount of LBP 202 billion needs to be allocated for the creation of said cards.

The MP has said that the sums of money can be used to establish garbage sorting plants to receive the trash of Beirut and its suburbs instead.

The Costa Brava landfill, which receives waste from Beirut and its suburbs, reaches its full capacity by the end of 2018.