Municipal Elections

Jounieh: An Electoral Battle That Reshapes National Alliances

Jounieh’s upcoming municipal elections, scheduled for May 4, are shaping up to be a decisive political showdown. A broad coalition has formed to challenge the outgoing municipal council, which is closely aligned with the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). The stakes are high in Jounieh, once hailed as the “pearl of the Mediterranean” and one of ...

From Bsharre to Al-Mina: Lebanese Women Break Political Ground in Municipal Elections

Women's participation in Lebanese politics remains strikingly low, both in municipal and parliamentary elections. In the 2022 elections, only eight women were elected out of 115 candidates. Misogynistic rhetoric continues to plague women in politics, reflecting a persistent societal resistance to female leadership. During the 2016 municipal ...

Baabda-Louaizeh: Families, Parties and Clientelism

On the eve of municipal elections in Baabda-Louaizeh, three competing lists are contending in a climate marked by family rivalries, sectarian tensions and shifting political alliances. Amid changing party loyalties, the clientelist influence of the village of Sebnay and a population eager for improved public services, Sunday’s vote could ...

Beirut Municipality Regulates Campaign Advertising

The Public Relations Department of the Beirut Municipality announced in a statement on Wednesday that the Governor of Beirut, Judge Marwan Abboud, has issued a circular concerning electoral advertising for the upcoming municipal elections. The circular instructs all candidates to restrict their campaign advertisements to the designated billboards ...

All Eyes Turned on the Municipal Elections in Dahyeh

As Lebanon prepares for its first municipal elections since the October 2023 war with Israel, attention is turning to the southern suburbs of Beirut, or Dahyeh—a bastion of Hezbollah. The Shiite-majority area has long been under the political influence of Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement. But this year’s vote carries significance far ...

Municipal Elections in Batroun: A Shifting Political Landscape

Nine years after they were last held—after a hiatus marked by repeated postponements—municipal elections in Lebanon are scheduled to take place over four consecutive Sundays beginning on May 4. The conditions under which the 2016 elections were conducted have changed dramatically. Hezbollah, the Iran-backed group, has lost significant ...

62 Municipal Councils Elected by Acclamation in Mount Lebanon

Ahead of the long-awaited municipal elections set to start on Sunday, May 4, a total of 62 municipalities in Mount Lebanon have been elected by acclamation, out of 330 in the region. In these areas, only one list of candidates was submitted per municipality, eliminating the need for a vote and automatically securing their election. The breakdown ...

Divisions Stall Parliamentary Talks on Beirut Municipal Council Parity

Sectarian divides once again paralyzed legislative work in Lebanon, as Parliament failed to reach any concrete decision on the issue of Christian-Muslim parity within Beirut’s municipal council. The matter has now been referred to a parliamentary committee for further examination. During a plenary session held on Thursday evening, Lebanese ...

Salam Vows Timely Municipal Elections

Prime Minister Nawaf Salam reaffirmed on Thursday that municipal elections will go ahead as scheduled, with a firm government commitment to transparency and fairness. In a statement posted on X, Salam addressed growing speculation around the elections, stating unequivocally that “the government’s position is firm in its commitment to hold the ...

Municipal Elections: What Are the Requirements to Run for Office?

As Lebanon prepares for its upcoming municipal elections, scheduled for May 2025, growing attention is being paid to the positions of municipal council members and presidents. In a context where local governance is increasingly viewed as a driver of change, many are considering a run for office. But what does it take to become a candidate? ...

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 ...