BEIRUT — Security measures came into effect Saturday ahead of Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Here’s what we know:
• There was noted army deployment Saturday across different areas in Lebanon. A statement from the Lebanese Armed Forces Saturday said “army forces and units have begun deploying on all Lebanese territory to maintain the security of the electoral process and ensure the integrity of its conduct. The army command calls on citizens to cooperate and abide by the instructions of the security forces.”
• An Interior Ministry representative told L’Orient Today that “there would be no roads closed tomorrow, on the contrary roads should be open so that people can go vote.”
• A curfew on Palestinian camps from Saturday night to Monday morning was also announced. A statement from the Palestinian Liberation Organization said the closure of the camps was “to protect the security of Lebanon’s inhabitants.” L’Orient Today’s correspondent in Saida confirmed that camps in the area would be closed from Saturday 6 p.m. until Monday 6 a.m.
• Thursday, a controversial statement from the Nabatieh municipality in South Lebanon announced the imposition of a curfew on Syrian refugees from 6 p.m. Saturday until 8 a.m. Monday. Nabatieh Governor Hassan Fakih told news outlet the National that the curfew was “standard procedure.”
• The Nabatieh governor’s office told L’Orient Today that the decision was made following a local security council meeting in order “to preserve security and avoid large gatherings.” When asked whether there would be active patrolling of whether refugees left their homes, they answered “no, nothing that extreme.”
• “The governor has the authority to issue such a circular but it isn’t based on a ministerial decision — if it were, it would be applied across all municipalities but now you can see that it’s just the Nabatieh governorate,” an Interior Ministry spokesperson clarified.