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The first phase of Lebanon’s municipal and mukhtar elections, the first to be held in nine years, concluded on Sunday evening in the Mount Lebanon Governorate, marked by moderate turnout, a few isolated incidents, and an overall smooth process, according to authorities.

According to unofficial preliminary results, the “Haret Hreik Family Gathering” list, supported by MP Alain Aoun, won the elections, defeartng all candidates supported by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). 

The list led by Nabih Tohmeh, supported by the Kataeb and the Lebanese Forces, won the municipal elections in Dbayeh.

Whereas Farid Haykal El Khazen’s electoral team claimed victory for the “Jounieh Rising” list, which reportedly won all 18 seats on Jounieh’s municipal council. Led by Fayçal Frem, the list is backed by the Lebanese Forces, the Kataeb, and three major political figures in the region: MPs Neemat Frem and Farid El Khazen, and former MP Mansour El Bone.

Vote counting began shortly after polling stations closed at 7 p.m., in the presence of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam and Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar.

The overall voter turnout in Mount Lebanon Governorate reached 45.25%, with a total of 377,449 voters.

The breakdown by district is as follows:

• Keserwan: 60.94%
• Jbeil: 57.46%
• Chouf: 45.75%
• Aley: 42.3%
• Baabda: 39.11%
• Northern Metn: 38.86%

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam described the elections as “an opportunity to reinvigorate the developmental role of local governance.”

“Today is a truly democratic day. The Interior ministry demonstrated its preparedness, and violations were limited,” Salam added.

On his part, Hajjar hailed the elections as “a national democratic celebration that brought together all Lebanese in Mount Lebanon,” emphasizing that the vote was held calmly, without pressure or major security incidents.

Out of 479 complaints recorded throughout the day, the majority were of an administrative nature, he noted. One complaint involving suspected electoral corruption was referred to the competent judicial authorities.

Despite the generally peaceful atmosphere, some tensions were reported. In Ghineh, Keserwan, an altercation inside a polling station led to a brief stampede, causing one minor injury. The army quickly reinforced its presence, allowing voting to resume normally.

In Hammana, a dispute erupted between the head of an electoral list and a delegate, the latter reportedly being physically assaulted. A complaint was filed at the local gendarmerie post.

At the official school in Furn el-Chebbak, tensions rose over married female voters whose names remained on the electoral registers of their families of origin. The polling station president proceeded to verify ID card numbers to confirm their eligibility.

Reinforced security measures

The commander of the Lebanese Army, General Rodolphe Haykal, visited the Mount Lebanon operations room to inspect the exceptional security measures implemented to ensure the smooth running of the electoral process.

In a statement, the Army Command called on citizens to strictly adhere to the instructions of deployed forces and to avoid any behavior that might disrupt public order.

As the country awaits the official results, attention now turns to the second phase of the municipal elections, scheduled to take place in other governorates in the coming weeks.