BEIRUT: Residents of southern Lebanon voted on Saturday in the country’s municipal elections.
The fourth and last stage of the elections took place in the southern and Nabatieh governorates.
“The will of life is stronger than death, and the will of construction is stronger than destruction,” President Joseph Aoun said during a tour of south Lebanon.
Aoun’s visit, which came just minutes before ballot boxes opened at 7 a.m., was particularly significant as he is from the border village of Al-Aaishiyah.
The president exercised his right to vote for the first time in 40 years. Under national law, he had been forbidden from voting due to his active military service.
His presence in the far south provided a sense of reassurance, particularly as the elections were taking place less than 48 hours after intense Israeli airstrikes in the region.
When asked if there were assurances against Israeli attacks on election day, Aoun said: “The guarantees are in place. The south is part of Lebanon and the heart of the nation, and nothing should deter the Lebanese people from exercising their will to persevere.”
The streets of Al-Aaishiyah were adorned with Lebanese flags, and residents welcomed the president with chants supporting his positions, showering him with rice and flowers.
After casting his vote, Aoun said: “I have spent 40 years protecting elections, and today, for the first time, I am voting in an electoral event to support the town’s development.
“Elections by consensus represent a form of democracy, and the country is founded on consensual democracy.”
Aoun delivered several messages during his tour, saying: “Today is not only Liberation Day, but also a day for democracy and making the right choice.”
He urged citizens to take part in the vote in large numbers, and described the election as developmental rather than political.
“Vote for representatives who support development in our cities and villages, honor the sacrifices of our people and contribute to reconstruction,” he said.
Aoun commended the resilience of people in the south and acknowledged the many challenges they have faced.
He highlighted the efforts of security and judicial agencies, as well as civil servants, in managing the electoral process at every stage.
The elections were held one day before the anniversary of Liberation Day, which Lebanon celebrates each year on May 25 since 2000 — the year Israel withdrew from the south after decades of occupation.
The Lebanese army, Internal Security Forces and State Security members secured the polling stations, deploying personnel at entrances and outside.
Voters in Sidon and its surrounding villages took part in electoral contests, with politicians from the city present at polling stations to cast their votes.
Among them were former prime minister Fouad Siniora, former MP Bahia Hariri and MP Abdul Rahman Bizri.
Interior Minister Ahmed Hajjar monitored the electoral process, traveling between border villages and areas north of the Litani River.
No one was preventing southerners from exercising their democratic rights, he said.
“We did not seek guarantees for conducting the elections from anyone. Instead, we communicated with the countries involved in the ceasefire agreement.
“As a state and government, we have decided to hold these elections to ensure that every citizen and every southerner can exercise their right to vote and practice sovereignty, with the state fully supporting this process with all its effort and determination,” the minister added.
Army Commander Gen. Rodolphe Haikal inspected the central operations room located in the southern region at the Mohammed Zgheib Barracks in Sidon.
He assessed the security protocols adopted by military units to safeguard the electoral process.
Gen. Haikal visited the command of the Fifth Infantry Brigade in Bayada and was briefed on the brigade’s deployment in its operational sector and the security measures being implemented.
In a speech, he said: “The success of the electoral process holds significant importance in light of the current exceptional challenges.”
Addressing military personnel, he said the success of the electoral process was a testament to the commitment of the people of the south to their land, and the presence of the army was a crucial factor for reassurance and resilience.
Gen. Haikal said: “Our message is that the army stands firmly with the Lebanese people. Israel, which continues to violate Lebanon’s sovereignty and occupies part of its territory, will not deter the military from fully fulfilling its duties.”
Among those who voted on Saturday were Hezbollah members wounded in the 2024 pager attack, which saw thousands of booby-trapped devices blow up near-simultaneously in an operation carried out by Israel.
Photos were taken of them in front of the ballot boxes as they cast their votes with amputated fingers and blinded eyes.
Border town residents who had fled their homes south of the Litani River amid the Hezbollah-Israel war cast their votes at dedicated centers in Nabatieh, north of the river.
The displaced voters expressed anger over having to vote outside their towns as well as their continued displacement, with no reconstruction on the horizon.
Dozens of complaints were filed with the central operations room, while the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections, or LADE, complained of “harassment against its representatives.”
Elections in most of the border towns, which suffered Israeli attacks 48 hours beforehand, were won by default, except for Houla and Aitaroun, as well as mixed towns like Yarin, Yaroun, Shamaa and Dhahira.
Towns where Hezbollah and the Amal Movement failed to secure the endorsement of loyal candidates witnessed a grassroots surge.
Mixed towns or those with Sunni, Christian or Druze majorities experienced fierce competition.
The Interior Ministry allowed candidate withdrawals to continue until Saturday morning.
Out of 272 municipalities, 109 won by default in both governorates.
Leftist parties and independents competed in towns where the Shiite duo’s attempts at reaching a consensus failed, and in towns witnessing competition between the two.
The towns that witnessed electoral contests include Kfar Reman, Doueir, Kfar Tebnit and Adloun.
The Lebanese Forces competed against the Free Patriotic Movement in Jezzine.
In towns where competition between candidates was intense, voter turnout reached almost 40 percent by the afternoon.
Hezbollah MP Hassan Fadlallah said that winning by default is “the most important message sent by the people of the south to the Israelis.”
MP Ali Fayyad said: “Southerners prove once again that they support the resistance and endorse the national duo as a political choice.”
