LADE records 613 violations during South Lebanon elections

The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) recorded 613 violations during Saturday’s municipal elections in South Lebanon, according to a report published Sunday. The violations ranged from breaches of ballot secrecy and voter intimidation to electoral propaganda, violations of the electoral silence period, and security and logistical issues.

LADE highlighted incidents of “pressure,” particularly in towns where the Amal-Hezbollah duo won uncontested. “This election was marked by a high percentage of municipalities (40%) that were won by acclamation. In some areas, especially smaller ones, uncontested victories by the duo were linked to local agreements and efforts to ensure harmony within municipal councils. The association observed widespread pressure on some candidates to withdraw,” the report said.

“In this context, LADE believes that Interior Ministry circulars allowing last-minute withdrawals created an opening for continuous pressure. A clear and final deadline for candidate withdrawal should have been set — just like the deadline for submitting candidacies — in order to allow both candidates and voters to prepare seriously for the elections in a healthy democratic environment,” the report added.

According to figures provided by our South Lebanon correspondent Muntasser Abdallah, Amal-Hezbollah lists were elected unopposed in 102 out of 272 municipalities. In areas where elections did take place, the two parties’ lists won, with only a few rare breakthroughs by unaffiliated candidates.

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Security chaos

LADE also noted that “election day was marked by a certain level of security chaos, which was managed without injuries,” similar to issues seen during previous election rounds. In Ghazieh (Saida district), one of the association’s observers was even assaulted by representatives of a candidate, and her phone was briefly confiscated.

The organization further reported that “some clerks violated voting conditions,” allowing voters to cast their ballots using civil registry extracts or expired passports, contrary to the Interior Minister’s directive, which states that voters must use a valid ID card or a current passport.

As for the vote counting phase, LADE said it “generally went smoothly, as in most rounds this year, with the exception of the city of Tripoli.”
Regarding voting secrecy, the association recorded “some violations, although fewer than in previous rounds.”

The electoral silence was also breached “by several media outlets and politicians supporting rival lists, especially in the Jezzine constituency, which saw fierce competition between the Free Patriotic Movement and the Lebanese Forces.”

In conclusion, LADE stated that “despite shortcomings and irregularities, these elections went relatively well, particularly thanks to the notable responsiveness of the Interior Ministry, which could serve future consultations.” “In this context,” the association added, “LADE calls on the ministry to seriously address the structural and logistical flaws identified during this vote in preparation for the 2026 parliamentary elections.”

La LADE dénombre 613 infractions lors des élections au Liban-Sud