Photo of a voter in North Lebanon casting her vote into the ballot box during the municipal elections in North Lebanon on May 11, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/ L'Orient-Le Jour)
A day after municipal elections in northern Lebanon, which were marred by numerous — mostly minor — incidents, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) released its third report on the 2025 electoral process, warning of “widespread violations repeating in a climate of chaos.”
“The violations observed during the first round in Mount Lebanon have intensified, particularly those related to the secrecy of the vote,” the report said. LADE cited “numerous security challenges, marked by scenes of chaos and incidents that led to the suspension of the electoral process multiple times and required the intervention of security forces.” It added that such incidents “should serve as a warning to prevent a recurrence during the remaining two phases of voting.”
Residents of Beirut and the Bekaa are scheduled to vote May 18, followed by southern Lebanon on May 24.
Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar said Monday that 675 complaints and claims were registered, including 143 security incidents and nearly 120 altercations and scuffles that disrupted the process. LADE reported a higher figure — 754 electoral violations — with most involving breaches of voting secrecy. These included voters casting ballots outside booths, candidates or their representatives accompanying voters behind the booth, or standing in positions that compromised ballot confidentiality.
Hajjar said seven people were arrested in connection with security incidents and that 15 cases of suspected electoral fraud were under review. He also confirmed a potential case of document falsification, with one suspect in custody.
LADE also cited instances of vote buying, the confiscation of voters’ ID cards, and pressure on voters.
Despite the irregularities, the group said the vote count “generally took place under acceptable conditions,” noting a few problems such as power outages at some centers. LADE praised the Interior Ministry’s handling of the process, particularly its “responsiveness to hotline complaints — mostly from polling station heads — and its efforts to prevent obstruction of observers’ work.”
