Waddah Sadek (right) and Lara Saadé fileing the appeal in invalidation of the postponement of municipal elections to the Constitutional Council, Tuesday, May 7, 2024 in Beirut. (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Ten opposition MPs appealed on Tuesday Parliament's decision to extend municipal elections by one year.
This measure, taken for the third year running, was adopted at the last legislative session on April 25. On Tuesday, the ten MPs filed the appeal to the Constitutional Council, following an earlier appeal filed by the Lebanese Forces (LF) last week.
Among the deputies who signed the appeal are: four Kataeb deputies (Samy and Nadim Gemayel, Salim Sayegh and Elias Hankache), three members of the Renewal Bloc (Michel Moawad, Fouad Makhzoumi and Achraf Rifi), two deputies from the protest movement (Waddah Sadek and Michel Douaihy), and independent Bilal Hocheimy.
The appeal, drafted by lawyer Lara Saadeh, is based on arguments similar to those made by LF, namely that this postponement conflicts with several fundamental principles of the preamble to the Constitution and its Article 7, relating to the principles of separation, balance, and cooperation between the powers.
The 1998 precedent
MP Waddah Sade described the extension as "irrational," saying "the only reason to delay municipal elections is to serve the interests of the system and maintain its control over municipalities where it fears losing certain seats," according to comments reported by the National News Agency. This accusation is regularly leveled by the opposition, notably against the Free Patriotic Movement (Aounist) and Hezbollah.
The appeal accuses Parliament of failing to respect the "periodicity of elections," undermining the democratic functioning of institutions. The text also highlights the reasons offered up as justification for the postponement — namely the clashes underway in southern Lebanon between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, which are considered "exceptional circumstances" those advocating for the extension.
The group of opposition MPs say the fighting cannot legitimize a nationwide postponement, since it only concerns a limited part of Lebanese territory, citing the precedent of the 1998 municipal elections: the ballot was held normally in the country's various municipalities, with the exception of those in southern Lebanon, then under Israeli occupation, where it was held a year later.
The MP for Beirut's second constituency adds that holding the municipal elections in this context would, on the contrary, be a way of "strengthening Lebanon's municipalities" at a time when it is important to "protect and support the inhabitants of the South who have remained in the border areas and the displaced."
Last year, a similar postponement of the municipal elections was also the subject of appeals to the Constitutional Council, which were rejected. At the time, the Council cited "the principle of continuity of public services."