Elections

Tensions Erupt in Tripoli. Ministers Intervene to Resolve Electoral Vote Count Delay

Tensions flared Monday evening in Tripoli as dozens of citizens gathered outside the city’s Palace of Justice, protesting the delay in the vote count for the municipal elections and the lack of official results. In response to the growing unrest, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar and Justice Minister Adel Nassar rushed to Tripoli’s Saray before ...

J. Aoun: "Municipal Elections Send A Clear Message of State Recovery"

President Joseph Aoun visited the Internal Security Forces’ operations room in Achrafieh on Sunday to monitor the launch of the second round of municipal and mukhtar elections in North Lebanon and Akkar. He praised the efforts of the security forces, as well as the Ministries of Interior and Justice, and declared that “these elections are a ...

81 Municipalities Elected by Acclamation in the North and Akkar

As part of the second round of municipal and mukhtar elections, 81 municipalities were elected by acclamation in the North and Akkar, out of a total of 289. The breakdown is as follows: Akkar: 44 out of 134 municipalities. Bsharre: 5 out of 12 (Bekaakafra, Qnat, Hasroun, Hadchit and Hadath al-Jebbeh). Koura: 10 out of 38 ...

After Four Vacant Years, Mieh Mieh Set to Vote for Municipal Council

More than 100 municipalities across Lebanon remain hollow structures—lacking elected councils to carry out essential functions and implement reforms. Mieh Mieh, the second-largest town east of Saida, is a prime example. Administrative issues have kept the municipality inactive for the last four years. Will this election finally break the ...

Anthony Albanese Re-Elected as Australia's Prime Minister, Vows Disciplined Leadership

Australia's left-leaning Prime Minister Anthony Albanese basked Sunday in his landslide election win, promising a "disciplined, orderly" government to confront cost-of-living pain and tariff turmoil. Residents clapped as the 62-year-old and his fiancee Jodie Haydon visited his old inner Sydney haunt, Cafe Italia, surrounded by a crowd of jostling ...

Workers Install Chimney Atop Sistine Chapel for Conclave

Firefighters at the Vatican installed a chimney on top of the Sistine Chapel to be used during the conclave that begins May 7, an AFP reporter witnessed Friday. Cardinals vote in secret in the chapel for a new pope and reveal to the waiting world the outcome by burning the ballots in a special stove, with the chimney emitting black smoke if no ...

Municipal Federations in Lebanon: Strategic Tools with Political Implications

Created under Lebanon’s 1977 Municipal Organization Law, municipal federations (MFs) hold legal status and enjoy administrative and financial autonomy, similar to that of individual municipalities (Article 114). These federations can include an unlimited number of member municipalities—usually on a voluntary basis—to implement joint projects ...

A Story of Ill Will, Not Fair Representation

All hidden intentions have come to light, and the undeniable truth is now clear: some are unwilling to ensure equal representation in Beirut’s municipality, or at least are unwilling to uphold it. The real crisis lies in the absence of unified Sunni support in the city, compounded by the inability to provide a political umbrella in the capital ...

Municipal Elections in Lebanon: When Politics Becomes a Family Affair

As Lebanon prepares to hold its municipal elections for the first time since 2016, observers are once again focusing on a persistent feature of the country’s political landscape: the grip of families on the local scene. While municipal elections are supposed to reflect the popular will and address citizens’ concrete needs, they are in ...