Southern Lebanon's municipal elections: Berri calls for strong turnout for Amal-Hezbollah

BEIRUT — Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called on Thursday people from southern Lebanon to participate in the municipal elections expected to take place on Saturday and vote for the Amal Movement-Hezbollah lists.

The municipal elections, which are finally happening after three years of repeated postponement due to various circumstances, have already taken place in Mount Lebanon, northern Lebanon, Beirut and the Bekaa, with only southern Lebanon remaining. In this region, where Hezbollah and Amal are still politically predominant, dozens of municipal councils have already been elected by acclamation, mostly among the Shiite tandem supported lists.

Berri especially called for people in the villages close to the Lebanese-Israeli border to turn out in large numbers to vote in order to send a "message to the Israeli occupier and its war machine, that these dear villages will remain Lebanese, belong to their people and continue to be spaces for life, not scorched earth."

"[These villages] will be rebuilt and never turned into a buffer zone, no matter the sacrifices," he added.

The recent war between Hezbollah and Israel, which spanned from October 2023 until November 2024, led to the complete destruction of border Lebanese villages. Following the cease-fire agreement reached in late November, Israel continued striking southern Lebanon on a near-daily basis and maintained its occupation of five areas inside Lebanese territory.

"On May 24, you are called upon to once again embody the scene of returning to your land and homes as you did in the first moments after the cessation of the brutal Israeli aggression," the statement read, in reference to the return of southerners at the expiration of the deadline for the Israeli withdrawal from the area, which were met by Israeli fire.

"Remind all the speculators, observers and skeptics the image of that authentic national humanitarian scene, by participating heavily in the municipal elections and voting for the 'Development and Loyalty' lists that were agreed upon between the Amal Movement, Hezbollah, families, political forces and civil groups." He also asked candidates to "make every possible effort" to have more councils elected by acclamation.

Earlier on Thursday, after reporters asked Berri following a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas whether he is afraid of Israeli attacks during the elections, Berri said that "it is always taken into account."

Regarding the preparations for the elections, Berri simply said, “Good, good.”