BEIRUT, May 11 (Xinhua) -- Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati said on Wednesday that his government has taken "all necessary measures" to ensure safe and free parliamentary elections slated for May 15.
He encouraged Lebanese to actively participate in voting, official National News Agency (NNA) reported.
"Let us vote and let election day be a landmark step en route to democracy for the future of Lebanon and the Lebanese," said Mikati.
High schools and public institutions, which will be used as polling stations for the upcoming elections, will be closed from May 12 until May 15, according to a decision issued by Education Minister Abbas Halabi on Wednesday.
A day earlier, Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi decided to have all nightclubs, bars and restaurants closed and motorcycles banned from road across the country during the parliamentary elections on Sunday.
General Joseph Aoun, Lebanon's armed forces commander, told a meeting of his staff and military commanders on Tuesday that the military is prepared to maintain security throughout the parliamentary elections to ensure their success, NNA reported.
Holding the parliamentary elections is among the requirements from the international organizations and donor countries for extending their support to the crisis-hit Lebanon.
Parliamentary elections are held in Lebanon every four years, and a total of 718 candidates, including 118 women, are running for the 128 seats in parliament this year. ■
