Press conference of the leader of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), Gebran Bassil, on Monday, May 12, 2025, following the municipal elections in North Lebanon. Photo published on the news site Al-Nashra.
BEIRUT — Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil on Monday accused the Lebanese Forces of seeking to “encircle, isolate, and eliminate” his party during the ongoing municipal elections, while praising what he described as the FPM’s growing presence across northern Lebanon.
“The Lebanese Forces tried to encircle us, to isolate us and eliminate us wherever they could,” Bassil said during a press conference. “Their position was clear: alliances are allowed with everyone except the FPM — except, of course, in places where they know they can't win, even by rallying everyone against us.”
Municipal elections were held May 4 in Mount Lebanon and took place a week later in North Lebanon. In Mount Lebanon, the Lebanese Forces and their Kataeb allies emerged as the dominant political force among Christian voters, scoring key victories in Jounieh and Jbeil — the two largest Christian coastal cities — and securing all 18 municipal council seats in both.
‘Exclusion logic’
“Jounieh is the clearest example of this exclusion logic: we faced a five-party alliance, and we alone obtained 37 percent of the vote, after an agreement was refused,” Bassil said.
In North Lebanon, the LF-Kataeb alliance made gains in the district of Batroun, particularly in Tannourine and Chekka. However, in Batroun city — Bassil’s hometown — all Christian parties united under a single list headed by outgoing mayor Marcelino el-Herek, leaving no contest.
“In Batroun, we faced a three-way alliance of the LF, Kataeb and Boutros Harb. They challenged us in areas unfavorable to them, like Batroun city, and we accepted them despite our clear lead,” Bassil said. “But in Tannourine, they excluded us, yet we still won nearly a third of the votes with just the youth of Tannourine.”
Bassil also denounced what he called the “same exclusion logic” in Bsharri, the home district of LF leader Samir Geagea.
‘Implantation in all northern districts’
Despite these tensions, Bassil said the FPM had demonstrated strong grassroots support across northern Lebanon.
“Our presence on winning lists reflects the strength of our base, our representativeness, and our ability to communicate and work with others,” he said. “We have rejected no one. On the contrary, we’ve shown openness and a willingness to cooperate with everyone.”
Bassil reiterated the FPM’s strategy during the municipal race: supporting electoral lists that included party members, sympathizers or supporters, but without imposing candidates on local families or communities.
Municipal elections in Lebanon often reflect family dynamics more than national political alignments. After Mount Lebanon and North Lebanon, voters in Beirut and the Bekaa are scheduled to vote May 18, followed by South Lebanon on May 24.
