BEIRUT: Lebanese voted Sunday in municipal elections in Beirut and the Bekaa Valley amid tight security and a low turnout in the capital that has recently seen the largest anti-government protests in years following a months-long trash crisis.
Security was tight in the country as authorities took strict measures to guarantee that the vote passes without trouble. Lebanon was hit by a wave of bombings in recent years that killed scores of people and Syria’s civil war has spilled over in the past.
Sunday’s vote is the first to be held in the country since 2010. The government has postponed parliamentary elections, citing security concerns linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Lebanon has also been without a president since 2014, with the parliament failing to elect a leader amid political disagreements, and a paralysis among political rivals often related to their stance on the war in Syria. Results are expected as early as Monday.
There are 1.8 million voters registered for this round of voting. Three other rounds will take place over the coming weeks in other parts of the country.
In Beirut, residents are voting for the first time since an eight-month trash crisis ignited anti-government protests, with an outsider group of candidates challenging a political establishment widely seen as corrupt and incompetent.
Beirut Madinati, Arabic for “Beirut, My City,” has vowed to clean up both the city’s streets and its politics. It is running against “Beirutis,” a list backed by several political groups, including the powerful predominantly Sunni Future Movement of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the Shiite Amal group and the country’s three main Christian groups.
Security was tight in the country as authorities took strict measures to guarantee that the vote passes without trouble. Lebanon was hit by a wave of bombings in recent years that killed scores of people and Syria’s civil war has spilled over in the past.
Sunday’s vote is the first to be held in the country since 2010. The government has postponed parliamentary elections, citing security concerns linked to the conflict in neighboring Syria.
Lebanon has also been without a president since 2014, with the parliament failing to elect a leader amid political disagreements, and a paralysis among political rivals often related to their stance on the war in Syria. Results are expected as early as Monday.
There are 1.8 million voters registered for this round of voting. Three other rounds will take place over the coming weeks in other parts of the country.
In Beirut, residents are voting for the first time since an eight-month trash crisis ignited anti-government protests, with an outsider group of candidates challenging a political establishment widely seen as corrupt and incompetent.
Beirut Madinati, Arabic for “Beirut, My City,” has vowed to clean up both the city’s streets and its politics. It is running against “Beirutis,” a list backed by several political groups, including the powerful predominantly Sunni Future Movement of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the Shiite Amal group and the country’s three main Christian groups.
