The Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berry, at Aïn el-Tiné, on May 5, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient Today.)
Parliament Speaker and head of Amal, Nabih Berri, along with Hezbollah, called on Thursday for the residents of South Lebanon to participate in the municipal elections scheduled for Saturday and to vote for the Amal-Hezbollah lists.
Berri and Hezbollah both drew a more or less explicit parallel between voting in South Lebanon for this duo and reclaiming and reappropriating the land of the South, the main theater of the armed conflict between Hezbollah and Israel for more than thirteen months, from Oct. 8, 2023, to Nov.27, 2024.
"On May 24, you are called to once again embody the scene of returning to your land and your homes, as you did in the first moments following the cessation of the brutal Israeli aggression," Berri emphasized in a statement on Thursday. After the truce came into effect, Berri had called in a televised speech for displaced Lebanese to "return to [their] villages" and reclaim "their fig trees and olive trees."
Hezbollah urged voters to support the duo, "which will constitute a guarantee for the inhabitants of the region, especially concerning the reconstruction of their villages."
"Remind all speculators, observers, and skeptics of this authentic national and humanitarian scene by massively participating in the municipal elections and voting for the "Development and Loyalty' lists agreed upon by the Amal movement, Hezbollah, families, political forces, and civil society groups," added Berri.
The municipal elections, taking place after three years of successive postponements due to various circumstances, have already been held in Mount Lebanon, North Lebanon, Beirut, and the Bekaa. In the South, where Hezbollah and Amal maintain political dominance, dozens of municipal councils have already been elected by acclamation, mainly among the lists supported by Hezbollah and Amal. Berri also called on candidates to "do everything possible" to have more municipal councils elected by acclamation.
Berri particularly urged voters from villages near the Lebanese-Israeli border to turn out in large numbers to send "a message to the Israeli occupier and its war machine, saying that these villages dear to our hearts will remain Lebanese, belong to their inhabitants, and continue to be spaces of life, and not scorched earth." He added that "[these villages] will be rebuilt and will never become a buffer zone, no matter the sacrifices."
The recent war between Hezbollah and Israel resulted in the total destruction of Lebanese border villages. Since the cease-fire took effect, the Israeli state continues to strike almost daily in the South, causing 164 deaths according to our count and has also maintained troops at five positions in South Lebanon.
Earlier on Thursday, when asked by journalists after a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas about the fear of potential Israeli attacks during the elections, Berri responded: "It is always taken into account." He also assured that the election preparations were going "well."
On Tuesday, Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar expressed his determination to hold the municipal elections in South Lebanon, noting diplomatic contacts made to ensure the proper conduct of the elections, despite Israeli attacks.
