Ahmed Murad (Beirut, Cairo)
Political and popular circles in Lebanon are increasingly concerned about the postponement of the municipal elections scheduled to be held next May, due to the repercussions of tension in the south of the country, after they were previously postponed twice, as they were scheduled to be held in May 2022.
In April 2023, the Lebanese Parliament took a decision to postpone the municipal elections, while extending the mandate of the existing councils until their mandate ends on May 31, 2024, due to the inability to secure funding, according to the caretaker Interior Minister, Bassam Mawlawi.
The Lebanese writer and political analyst, Asaad Bishara, explained that the government is actually moving to postpone the municipal elections in all regions for the third time under the pretext of the security situation resulting from the tension in the south. He warned of the seriousness of the repercussions of postponement, and considered that it would be disastrous for municipal and local work, and would lead to more… Collapse in the work of the councils, paralyzing them completely, especially since there are many of them that are “dissolved” and the Ministry of Interior has assumed their responsibilities, and others are suspended due to disagreement among their members.
Bishara stressed, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, the necessity of holding municipal elections on the scheduled date next May, especially with the worsening repercussions of the economic crisis, which requires the presence of strong, elected councils that assume responsibility for villages and towns, and reduce the burden of the absence of the state and its various administrations. In these areas.
He suggested that the elections be held in two stages, the first in areas far from the clashes and including about 70% of the councils, and to be held in the areas of clashes at a later stage after calm returns to them. However, according to Bishara, the Lebanese government prefers the easier solution of postponing and extending the existing councils. This leads to the collapse of the administrative structure, and causes serious repercussions in services in a way that multiplies life crises.
The Lebanese writer appealed to the government, represented by the Minister of the Interior, to invite the voting bodies, set a date for holding municipal elections, and begin logistical preparation for the elections. If this does not happen, postponement will be a reality, and we will be facing “aging” and ineffective municipal councils.
Earlier, the Lebanese Minister of the Interior said: “We hope that the war in the south will end before next May, so that we can hold municipal elections, and if the House of Representatives does not postpone them, we can only hold them and apply the law.”
In turn, the Lebanese writer and analyst, Maysaa Abdel Khaleq, explained that holding municipal elections on time is an urgent necessity in light of the sharp deterioration witnessed in municipal services, considering that postponing them exacerbates the crises of administrative vacuum in state institutions.
Abdel Khaleq stated, in a statement to Al-Ittihad, that the current municipalities are no longer able to bear the large responsibilities that fall on their shoulders in light of the lack of financial revenues, which doubles the magnitude of the crises that the Lebanese are suffering from.
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