The crowd gathered in front of the Serail of Tripoli on May 12, 2025. Photo provided by Michel Hallak.
BEIRUT — Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar affirmed Tuesday that the vote count for the municipal and mukhtar (local official in charge of records) elections held Sunday in Tripoli was "indisputable," as the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) called for "a complete overhaul of the electoral process in the city."
Speaking from the Tripoli courthouse, he explained that "the vote counting committees conduct an accurate count."
"Some observations were made, and we found that the committees took into account all remarks to recalculate the votes in case of error," he added, emphasizing that "the count takes place in three stages, confirming the integrity and transparency of the process."
The vote counting commissions completed, shortly after midnight Tuesday, the counting of votes in Akkar, which were certified and delivered to the governor of Akkar, Imad Labaki, L'Orient Today's regional correspondent indicated. Labaki deposited the ballots this morning at the Interior Ministry, which will announce the results this evening.
'Series of complaints'
Hajjar's statements come while LADE has requested that the municipal and mukhtar elections in the city of Tripoli be reorganized, two days after the end of Sunday's voting "without the official results being published." The association also pointed out a "series of complaints about glaring violations that emerged during the count, necessitating a recount of several ballot boxes, which raises serious doubts about the safety and integrity of the electoral process."
"The electoral process in Tripoli no longer meets the necessary conditions for free and fair elections, necessitating a complete overhaul of the electoral process in the city."
Tripoli experienced a tumultuous weekend that accompanied the municipal elections in North Lebanon and a tense Monday evening in front of the Tripoli Serail, where protesters gathered to protest the slow counting of votes. Calm gradually returned Tuesday in the northern city, according to our regional correspondent. Shops reopened, classes resumed in schools and universities, public administrations and commercial enterprises resumed work, while traffic returned to normal on the streets of Tripoli, our correspondent added.
Hajjar had called on Monday for the residents of Tripoli to "show patience." He assured that "any official who made a mistake will be held accountable." The minister insisted on "the transparency of the vote," affirming that "no ballot was falsified" and that "all ballots were taken into account as they were submitted in the polling stations."
For his part, the justice minister emphasized "the transparency of the electoral process" and thanked the Interior Ministry for the efforts made to ensure the success of the vote. The Prime Minister's Press Office indicated that Prime Minister Nawaf Salam closely followed the situation in Tripoli and insisted on "ensuring the integrity of the electoral process and preventing any infraction."
A significant security presence was deployed Monday on-site, mobilizing the army and security forces. All roads leading to al-Nour Square, adjacent to the government Serail, had been closed to traffic.
The second electoral Sunday, 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. LADE published its third report for the 2025 municipal elections on the same day, lamenting "widespread violations that repeat in a climate of chaos."
Next Sunday, it will be the turn of voters in Beirut and the Bekaa to go to the polls, followed by those in South Lebanon on Saturday, May 24.
