The crowd gathered in front of the Serail of Tripoli, on May 12, 2025. (Credit: Michel Hallak)
Following a tumultuous weekend accompanying the municipal elections in North Lebanon and a tense Monday evening in front of the Serail of Tripoli, calm gradually returned on Tuesday in the large northern city, according to L'Orient Today's correspondent in the region.
Life seemed to have returned to normal by Tuesday morning, with shops reopening, classes resuming in schools and universities, public administrations and commercial enterprises resuming work, while traffic returned to normal on Tripoli's streets.
Monday evening saw heightened tensions in front of the Serail of Tripoli, where demonstrators gathered to protest against the slow counting of ballots following the municipal elections organized the day before. Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar and his colleague from the Justice Ministry, Adel Nassar, went to the scene to monitor the situation. Several candidates expressed their concerns, suggesting possible tampering with the results.
Hajjar called on Monday for Tripoli residents to "be patient." He said that "any official who has made a mistake will be held accountable." The minister insisted on "the transparency of the election," stating that "no ballot was falsified" and that "all ballots were counted as they were deposited in the polling stations." The Justice Minister emphasized "the transparency of the electoral process" and thanked the Interior Ministry for its efforts in the success of the elections. The Prime Minister's press office said that Nawaf Salam was closely monitoring the situation in Tripoli and insisted on "ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and preventing any infractions."
A significant security presence was deployed Monday on site, mobilizing the army and law enforcement. All roads leading to al-Nour Square, adjacent to the government Serail, were closed to traffic.
The second round of voting, which took place in North Lebanon and Akkar, was not without incidents: 675 complaints and claims were recorded, including 143 security incidents and nearly 120 altercations and fights that disrupted the process, according to a report released Monday by the Interior Minister. The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) published its third report for the 2025 municipal elections, signaling "widespread violations recurring in a climate of chaos."
Next Sunday, voters in Beirut and the Bekaa will head to the polls, followed by those in South Lebanon on Saturday, May 24.