A polling station in Hadath, Mount Lebanon, on May 4, 2025. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
In a report published Monday, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) stated it observed 838 violations during the first round of municipal elections held Sunday in Mount Lebanon. LADE, which deployed dozens of observers at polling stations in the six districts of the Mount Lebanon governorate (Jbeil, Kesrwan, Metn, Baabda, Aley, Chouf), denounced "shortcomings in electoral bodies and violations of electoral silence and voting secrecy despite good organization."
Among the violations recorded by LADE were delays in opening several polling stations, booths that did not guarantee voting confidentiality, access problems for people with disabilities, and "a serious case in which a delegate from a list took the place of the polling station president in Haret Hreik," in the southern suburbs of Beirut.
"LADE recorded flagrant violations of electoral silence by numerous media, particularly audiovisual media, which broadcast statements from political leaders and parties on election day, as well as questions asked to candidates and even voters about their electoral choices, which constitutes a form of electoral propaganda," the association stated.
"In terms of logistics, the lack of preparation and training delayed the opening of several polling stations ... some ballot boxes were not sealed with red wax ... There were also cases of chaos and altercations inside and around voting centers, forcing security forces to intervene, and in some cases leading to the suspension of the electoral process for about half an hour," the statement said.
Moreover, LADE once again observed that most voting centers were not ready to accommodate disabled and elderly voters, a recurring problem that has always accompanied previous elections, indicating "a lack of serious planning to ensure the inclusivity of elections."
LADE said it deployed 300 observers and controllers on the ground, divided between 200 fixed observers and controllers in polling stations and centers, and 100 others who moved between centers, in addition to night teams dedicated to monitoring the work of the registration committees after the polls closed.
The first stage of the municipal elections took place Sunday in Mount Lebanon, in the districts of Baabda, Aley, Chouf, Northern Metn, Kesrwan and Jbeil. Polling stations closed at 7 p.m., and the vote counting began immediately.
The rest of the municipal elections will be held on May 11 in North Lebanon, on May 18 in Bekaa and in Beirut, and on Saturday May 24 (Sunday May 25 being a holiday for Liberation Day) in the South, where entire villages were devastated by the last war between Hezbollah and the Israeli army and where a fragile ceasefire was declared on Nov. 27.