Here are the numbers and competitors for South Lebanon and Nabatieh's municipal elections

After three weekends of consecutive municipal elections in all the other country's governorates, it's finally southern Lebanon's turn. On Saturday, polling stations opened at 7 a.m. for voters to come and cast their ballots for their hometown's municipal councils and mokhtars. The reason why elections aren't Sunday, as they were for the rest of Lebanon, is because tomorrow is Liberation Day, marking the liberation by Hezbollah of southern Lebanon from Israeli occupation on May 25, 2000.

A large number of the villages hosting elections have been devastated by Israeli bombardment and almost all of them bare the scars of the recent war. Up until Thursday, Israel has been bombing southern Lebanon, in violation of the November cease-fire agreement. On Thursday, the Israeli air force struck at least 15 times across the South.

The regions concerned and the number of municipal councils

This elections day concerns the two mohafazaats (governorates) of southern Lebanon: that of South Lebanon, composed of three districts, and that of Nabatieh, composed of four. In total, 272 municipal councils need to be elected.

South Lebanon governorate:

• Jezzine district: 40 municipal councils;
• Sour district: 65 municipal councils;
• Saida district: 48 municipal councils.

Nabatieh governorate:

• Nabatieh district: 40 municipal councils;
• Bint Jbeil district: 36 municipal councils;
• Hasbaya district: 17 municipal councils;
• Marjayoun district: 26 municipal councils.

Among the 272 municipal councils, 101 were elected unopposed across the two governorates. This means that the candidates and lists present, after submitting candidacies, formed a single list without competition, which automatically won them the election without going to the polls.

Forty-four of these municipalities are won by Hezbollah lists and 42 by the Amal Movement. The Hezbollah-Amal alliance is the leading political force in the South and had urged voters to come out in large numbers or to reach pre-election compromises so that more municipal councils would be elected unopposed in their favor. This election is largely seen as a referendum on especially Hezbollah's popularity going forward after the war.

Seven municipal councils will be formed for a rotating mandate between Hezbollah and Amal candidates, while eight others were formed by consensus between major local families, according to information obtained from the parties by our correspondent in the South, Muntasser Abdallah.

Displaced voting in other localities

It should be noted that due to the major destruction in some border villages, and the risks posed by potential Israeli strikes in the area, voters from villages near the Blue Line where no consensus was reached were called to vote in other localities, notably major cities in the region such as Tebnine, Bint Jbeil, Marjayoun, or Nabatieh.

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The lists up for election in the towns not won by consensus

• Nabatieh:
  • Independent list: "Nabatieh deserves to live"
    • Facing: "Development and loyalty" (Amal-Hezbollah)
  • Kfar Roummane Independent list: "Kfar Roummane deserves"
    • Facing: The Amal-Hezbollah list

• Sour:
  • Independent list: "Sour Madinati," from the protest movement
  • Facing: The Hezbollah-Amal list

• Aita al-Shaab (Bint Jbeil) and Houla (Marjayoun) (border villages):
  • Opposition: Candidates close to the left
  • Facing: The Hezbollah-Amal list

• Saida
  • List "Sidon wants and we are up to the task"
    • Led by: Omar Morjan
    • Implicit support: Abderrahmane Bizri, Fouad Makhzoumi, and Hezbollah-Amal

• • List: "The Pulse of the Country"
    • Led by: Mohammad Dandachli
    • Supporters: Oussama Saad (Popular Nasserist Organization, leftist) and civil society groups

• • List led by Moustapha Hijazi
    • Implicit support: Bahia Hariri and the Future Movement

• • List "Sidon is worth it," incomplete, notably formed by the Islamic Group (Muslim Brotherhood)

• Jezzine
  • List: "Your municipality is your future"
    • Support: Lebanese Forces (LF) and Kataeb
  • List: "Together for Jezzine"
    • Support: Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and Ibrahim Azar (pro-Berry)