Lebanon says ready to hold municipal elections on time

BEIRUT, Lebanon

Lebanon is ready to hold municipal elections next month, caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi said on Monday.

"I am bound by law to hold elections, and I am convinced that these elections must be held on time," Mawlawi told a press conference as quoted by the National News Agency.

He called on the caretaker government “to secure the necessary funds (for holding the elections) and to complete administrative preparations."

The polls are scheduled to be held on May 7 and 28.

The vote was scheduled to take place last year, but was postponed as it coincided with the country’s parliamentary elections.

Last week, a controversy erupted among Lebanon’s parliamentary blocs over the government’s ability to secure the needed funds to hold the polls.

Mawlawi said the government has managed to secure funds for the municipal elections, in addition to some grants from the EU and UN to help cover vote expenses.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

The country has been unable to elect a new president since October 2022 to replace former President Michel Aoun amid differences among political rivals.

Lebanon has also been without a fully functioning government since last May, with Prime Minister Najib Mikati and his Cabinet having limited powers in their current caretaker status.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar