Lebanon begins first local elections since 2016 in test of post-war mood

Voters in central and western Lebanon were heading to the polls on Sunday to choose representatives for municipal and local councils in the first such vote since 2016.

The elections in Mount Lebanon governorate kick off several rounds of polling to take place across the country this month. They are being run under tight security and the direct supervision of the central government's Interior Ministry.

As of Sunday eenturnout was about 40 per cent, Lebanon's National News Agency said. It cited Defence Minister Michel Menassa as praising "all the efforts made to ensure the success" of the vote, as he cast his ballot at a vocational school.

Elections originally slated for 2022 were delayed three times amid political unrest.

Since then, the current sitting members of the municipal and local councils have continued to occupy their posts, which has led to stagnation and deterioration in local services, critics say.

Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, speaking from the Ministry of Defence, expressed his full confidence in the success of the elections in Mount Lebanon on Sunday.

He said the vote serves as a "catalyst for the rest of the country's governorates", aiming to revitalise municipalities as a foundational step towards national recovery.

“The role of municipalities is essential, and this electoral event is fundamental. Our duty is to ensure the security, safety and proper conduct of the electoral process and to monitor it throughout the day," Mr Aoun said as he oversaw voting from the ministry's operations room.

There are 897,000 voters in Mount Lebanon scattered over 333 municipalities from 479 towns.

Some 9,321 candidates are running for election throughout Lebanon's governorates over the coming days.

Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad Al Hajjar said all logistic and administrative preparations for the polls had been completed and that the Lebanese army and police would ensure security.

The next phases of the elections will be held in the North and Akkar governorates on May 11, followed by Beirut, Bekaa, and Baalbek-Hermel on May 18, and the South and Nabatieh on May 24.

The polls are the first to take place since more than a year of hostilities ended between the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah and Israel, including two months of full-blown war. A US-brokered ceasefire took effect last November.

Despite the truce, Israel has continued launching air strikes on Lebanon, killing dozens of civilians and Hezbollah members.

Iran-backed Hezbollah has been significantly weakened by the war and Lebanese authorities have been attempting to establish authority throughout the country and remove Hezbollah positions along the Israeli border since November.

Lebanon also installed a new government and elected Mr Aoun as President in January, filling a position that had been vacant for more than two years amid political instability and a financial crisis.

The Hezbollah-Israel war has cost Lebanon more than $5 billion in economic losses, with structural damage amounting to billions more, the World Bank estimated last year.