Who benefits from postponing Lebanon’s legislative elections?

Will the May 2026 legislative elections take place on time? This question has been circulating in political backrooms for some time and, despite public statements stressing the need to respect constitutional deadlines, subtle political calculations may be at play. The elections are set to take place in a context marked by a war-weakened Hezbollah and a sharp polarization over its arsenal, compounded by the ongoing disagreements over the current electoral law, including the expatriates’ voting mechanism — a perfect pretext for postponing an election that could not come at a worse time for many key players.Many observers argue that Hezbollah would have a strong interest in delaying as long as possible a popularity test that could expose a potential discontent within its community. This view, however, is not unanimous.“Contrary to what one...