Jezzine: Council of State urged to annul election of Municipalities Union

The preliminary report of the reporting advisor to the Council of State, Hiba Braidy, recommends that the institution accept the appeal filed against the vote that led to the election of Bassam Hanna Romanos as president of the Union of Municipalities of Jezzine, as well as Jean Nakhle as vice president, the website Elnashra reported on Friday.

This development comes amid heightened political tensions surrounding the Federation of Municipalities of Jezzine.

The June 17, 2025, vote resulted in the victory of Romanos, president of the Lebaa municipal council and an ally of the Lebanese Forces (LF), who received 14 votes to 13 for his opponent, David Helou, president of the Jezzine municipal council and supported by the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).

Two blank ballots and one void ballot were also recorded.

The FPM had then announced its intention to contest the election. "The results are false," a former party MP told L'Orient-Le Jour anonymously in June, adding that David Helou was preparing to file an appeal before the Council of State seeking to annul the federation’s election results.

In her report, Braidy recommends the annulment of both the election result and the official minutes of the vote. The government commissioner to the Council of State, Ferial Dalloul, supported these conclusions.

The final judgment regarding the appeal is expected in the coming days. Should the Council of State formally accept the appeal, the presidency and vice presidency of the Union of Municipalities of Jezzine will be annulled, and a new date will be set for the organization of elections to elect a new president and vice president.