The headquarters of the Beirut municipality. (Credit: NNA archives)
Power-sharing in the Beirut municipality between representatives of the Christian and Muslim communities was the subject of much debate on Monday, just over a month before the municipal elections in the capital, scheduled for Sunday, May 18. While Abdellatif Derian, the Mufti of the Republic and representative of the Sunni community in the country, asserted that the municipality of Beirut could not be subjected to “fragmentation,” deputies from the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) warned that power-sharing was “in danger” in Beirut and called on the authorities to “guarantee the continuity of the long-standing power-sharing system.”
The system in place in Lebanon provides for a balance in the allocation of positions of responsibility between representatives of different faiths at all levels of power. At the level of the municipality of Beirut, the structure of local governance is particular: The authority of the elected mayor is subordinated to a state representative affiliated with the Interior Ministry. Executive power within the municipality is vested in the mohafez, while the 24-member municipal council holds legislative power. The council is chaired by a president, who cannot implement decisions adopted by the council without the governor's approval. In addition, the entire capital is represented on a single city council. By contrast, for the legislative elections, Beirut is divided into two constituencies.
Dar al-Fatwa 'impartial towards all candidates'
“The sharing of power within the municipality of Beirut between Muslims and Christians is assured,” emphasized Sheikh Derian in a statement published via the state-run National News Agency (NNA). "The municipal elections are a national event, and Dar al-Fatwa remains impartial towards all candidates in all Lebanese regions. Every candidate is considered one of us, without distinction," he added. “We hope that the elections will take place with transparency, freedom and democracy and that only the Lebanese citizen will have the right to choose and elect the one he deems worthy of this responsibility,” continued the Sunni dignitary.
This view is not shared by MPs Nicolas Sehnawi and Edgard Traboulsi of the FPM, who made their disagreement known at a press conference at the party's headquarters in Achrafieh.
'The balance between Muslims and Christians in Beirut could be compromised'
Sehnawi stressed that “power-sharing in Beirut is under threat” and urged all those in charge, from the President to Parliament, to “assume their responsibilities to guarantee the continuity of this long-established power-sharing system.” He added that “without a legal framework, the balance between Muslims and Christians in Beirut could be compromised.” He further called for a law guaranteeing fair representation, either by dividing the municipality into two districts or by ensuring balanced results in elections, and warned that without consensus, the risk of undermining the power-sharing system increases, which could lead to a more serious crisis. He urged citizens to put pressure on their representatives to act quickly to preserve Beirut's balance.
Traboulsi stressed “the importance of preserving Beirut's confessional balance in order to avoid the divisions that have affected other Lebanese cities such as Tripoli.” He called on Parliament and the President to act swiftly on the proposed bills to “guarantee the unity of Beirut.” In July 2022, three FPM MPs presented a bill proposing a municipal division between the east (with a Christian majority) and the west (with a Muslim majority), with a capital-wide mega-council to oversee the whole city. The proposal was put forward under the guise of “technical” improvements to citizen services, but it made no secret of its confessional objectives.
Meanwhile, Interior and Municipalities Minister Ahmad al-Hajjar chaired a preparatory meeting for the municipal and electoral elections in his office on Monday morning, according to NNA. Hajjar also called for “full coordination between the mohafez and the Internal Security Forces to ensure the smooth running of the electoral process and maintain security.”