Protesters in front of the municipality of Tripoli, in November 2019. (Credit: Ibrahim Chalhoud/AFP)
A week after municipal elections in Mount Lebanon, voters in the North and Akkar governorates are set to elect their local councils on Sunday, May 11. More than 600,000 registered voters across the districts of Tripoli, Minyeh-Dinnieh, Bsharri, Batroun, Koura, Zgharta and Akkar are called to the polls.In most areas, the competition is driven by family ties or strictly local considerations. But politics often seeps in — especially amid rising polarization over Hezbollah and its weapons. The prolonged absence of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his Future Movement has further complicated the picture, leaving many Sunni-majority areas in the North without a clear political center of gravity.Here are some of the main races to watch. Read more Municipal elections in Mount Lebanon: Key takeaways from the day An uncertain outcome in...
A week after municipal elections in Mount Lebanon, voters in the North and Akkar governorates are set to elect their local councils on Sunday, May 11. More than 600,000 registered voters across the districts of Tripoli, Minyeh-Dinnieh, Bsharri, Batroun, Koura, Zgharta and Akkar are called to the polls.In most areas, the competition is driven by family ties or strictly local considerations. But politics often seeps in — especially amid rising polarization over Hezbollah and its weapons. The prolonged absence of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and his Future Movement has further complicated the picture, leaving many Sunni-majority areas in the North without a clear political center of gravity.Here are some of the main races to watch. Read more Municipal elections in Mount Lebanon: Key takeaways from the day An uncertain outcome...