Passersby in a street leading to a polling station in the village of Deir Qanoun al-Nahr in the Sour district. On the left, a building destroyed by an Israeli strike during the last war between Israel and Hezbollah. (Credit: Matthieu Karam/L'Orient-Le Jour)
The elections in South Lebanon and Nabatieh mohafazat took place on Saturday in relative calm, both along the Blue Line and in the polling stations. By the afternoon, there were no reports of strikes or fire from northern Israel or the still-occupied positions in the south of the country. Voters seemed to be heading to the polls in relative calm, marked only by sporadic incidents, including the assault of a candidate from the "Sour Madinati" list, composed of independents, in front of a school in the city.
It was in this atmosphere that the Lebanese President, Joseph Aoun, voted for the first time in his life in his native village of Aishieh, in the district of Jezzine, as part of the election of mokhtars (local officials), with the municipal council of the locality having been elected by default. "I protected the elections for 40 years, and today I am voting for the first time," he said as he dropped his ballot into the box, having been commander-in-chief of the army after a long military career during which he had no right to vote. "The winner will represent me, whoever it is," he added.
'The will to build is stronger than all demolitions'
Aoun also went to the Nabatieh Serail in the morning, where he stated that "participating in the construction and development of the city is a duty: I congratulate those who won by default in the elections and congratulate in advance those who will win at the polls; the position is not a privilege but a responsibility, and you must be worthy of trust by serving the people with sincerity and dedication."
From the Saida Serail, the head of state also paid tribute on Saturday morning to the "souls of the martyrs of the South, the work of the security and judicial authorities and all those who have contributed and continue to contribute to the smooth conduct of the electoral process." He called for "massive voting for those who represent their aspirations for municipal development, as the elections in the South confirm that the will to live is stronger than death, and that the will to build is stronger than all demolitions."
Lebanon's South is struggling to recover from more than 13 months of war between Hezbollah and Israel, which led to the destruction of many border villages. Israeli strikes spared no region of the South and caused more than 4,000 deaths. 164 people were also killed, mainly in the South, in Israeli bombardments and fire since the cease-fire took effect on Nov. 27, 2024.
Hajjar's tour
Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar stated in the morning from the Nabatieh Serail as well that "the municipal elections have begun safely," revealing that "there are some logistical gaps" but that his Ministry "is taking care of them." "Lebanon is always recovering from the debris," he said. He noted that "the complaints received yesterday proved to be insignificant," adding that arrests were made for suspicion of corruption after incidents. The minister did not mention specific incidents, but reports circulated on Friday night about a party representative urging a voter to vote for a specific list in exchange for money.
After inspecting polling stations reserved for voters from Kfar Kila and Adaisseh, two border villages in the district of Marjayoun devastated by Israeli strikes, installed in a high school in Nabatieh, Hajjar also went to Marjayoun, where he stated he "saw the determination of the region's inhabitants and their will for a democratic process." From Shebaa, in the district of Hasbaya, the Interior Minister assured regarding the security situation in the South that "all diplomatic contacts are reassuring, and we are committed to the sovereignty of the state, which is present alongside the people." "The reconstruction started in the spirit first, before beginning with bricks, and despite the limited capacities, the people's will prevails," added Hajjar. "The state will not rest until all the inhabitants of Shebaa are comfortable, and every part of its territory is liberated" from Israeli occupation.
Israeli violations 'will not deter the army'
These messages were also conveyed by the Lebanese Army's commander-in-chief, General Rodolphe Haykal, during a visit to several barracks in the South, particularly in Saida and Bayada (Sour), where he stated on the occasion that "the success of the elections is proof that the inhabitants of the South are attached to their land."
"The presence of the army is one of the most important elements of comfort and determination," for these inhabitants of the South, he insisted, while the army has redeployed south of the Litani as part of the cease-fire agreement and is tasked with dismantling Hezbollah's infrastructure there. "Our message is that the army stands firmly alongside the Lebanese and that the Israeli enemy, which continues to violate Lebanon's sovereignty and occupy part of its territory, will not deter the military institution from accomplishing its missions to the best of its ability," he declared.
The army is heavily deployed, with patrols and roadblocks, alongside other security institutions, in the southern localities. This has not prevented some tensions, fights and suspicions of fraud.
Tensions and fights
According to the National News Agency, a dispute occurred at polling station number 8 in Nabatieh, and voting was temporarily interrupted to resolve it. Meanwhile, in Shamaa (Sour), a fight broke out between voters at the Bassel al-Assad cultural center, without affecting the conduct of the poll. Other fights, some involving dozens of people, took place in Saida, according to our correspondent. In Sour, a candidate from the "Sour Madinati" list, opposed to traditional parties, was assaulted in front of a polling station while speaking to the press, according to information from the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE). Police officers who witnessed the scene confirmed a "fight" to our journalist Lyana Alameddine, but downplayed its impact.
In Jezzine, state security agents informed L'Orient-Le Jour that they deployed in the area after receiving reports of two representatives "attempting to manipulate votes in the ballot boxes." One was expelled, and the other was not located, according to them. At the Mourjan high school in Saida, the situation became tense, notably due to the crowd, and when Ahmad Hariri, the secretary-general of the Future Movement, arrived, the army had to evacuate the polling station, causing a stir, which quickly calmed down.
The Interior Ministry announced that the number of complaints received by the authorities regarding the conduct of the poll so far amounted to 137, mainly concerning "administrative issues."
This article was translated from L'Orient-Le Jour.
