“Truly, fair elections can only happen in normal times, and they are at the heart of democracy, ensuring power is not concentrated in one group for too long.” With these words, Deputy Jihad El Samad explains why he is pushing for a law to extend the terms of our local councils until May 2025, drawing on a quote from the French judge Dominique Rousseau. He points out that “our country is facing a complex mix of security, military, and political challenges due to ongoing Israeli attacks on Lebanon. These attacks are hitting hard, especially in the south, Nabatieh, Baalbek, Hermel, and Western Bekaa, disrupting daily life and making it difficult for candidates and voters to participate fully in elections.”
Lebanon is indeed at war, but our government is not treating it as such. Israeli airstrikes are increasing, causing more damage and displacing more people each day. Meanwhile, our government’s response seems confused and ineffective. They have not even officially acknowledged that we are at war, let alone mobilized resources to help us cope with the losses and ensure our resilience.
But focusing on reality, the situation in Lebanon has long been far from ‘normal’. Many communities, especially outside Beirut and the coastal cities, have been neglected for years by the centralized Lebanese political and economic system. With the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs abolished, there has been little talk of equitable development.
Since the start of the Israeli war, local councils have been doing their best to help displaced people with housing, medical care, and food. But the crisis is overwhelming, and without support from the central government, they are struggling to cope. The government blames the delay in elections on the ongoing war, but in reality, it is precisely because of this war that we need strong local councils now more than ever.
In light of the two consecutive delays of the most recent municipal election that was supposed to take place in 2022 and given the new draft law registered on April 15th, 2024 and its appointment on the next parliamentary session’s agenda assigned on April 25th, 2024, in which it is expected that this law will pass and extend the election’s date further until December 2025, we discuss in this commentary the timeline of municipal elections in times of war and peace, to understand why elections keep getting delayed and how this delay has become a long-existing policy.
