The Beirut MP Fouad Makhzoumi. (Credit: NNA)
The list backed by Fouad Makhzoumi, an independent MP from Beirut, scored a sweeping victory in elections for the Union of Associations of Beirut Families, defeating a list backed by the Future Movement. The result marks a major setback for the faction of former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, long considered a dominant force among Lebanon’s Sunni community, particularly in Beirut.
The Union of Families, established in 1998 at the height of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s influence, has traditionally been close to his political successors. Rafik Hariri, the founder of the Future Movement, was assassinated in 2005.
As its name suggests, the association brings together prominent Sunni families in the capital and plays a social, humanitarian and medical role within the community. It also works to preserve the cultural heritage and history of Beirut’s population, according to its website.
Makhzoumi’s list won 11 of the 18 seats, including the four candidates who received the most votes. According to Al Jadeed television’s website, the successful candidates on his list were Jamil Hout, Nader Chaar, Ziad Dandan, Bassem Naamani, Haytham Yassine, Abdel Razzak Fayed, Mariya Adada, Naji Khayat, Walid Kebbeh, Marouan Safah and Khaled Karak.
The winners from the Future Movement-backed list were Mounir Hafi, Rami Itani, Hassan Barbour, Walid Dimachkieh, Nada Yammout and Sami Bleik. The new committee is scheduled to meet Monday to elect its president.
The elections, which could offer an indication of current trends within Lebanon’s Sunni community, suggest growing calls for change, particularly as Saad Hariri has been living outside Lebanon for years and has not announced any intention to return to politics or reclaim a leadership role.
Makhzoumi, meanwhile, has expressed a desire to play a greater role on the local political scene. He demonstrated his ability to rally Sunni lawmakers in the aftermath of deadly Israeli strikes on Beirut on April 8, 2026, when he advocated for a demilitarized and secure capital free of Hezbollah’s influence. Hezbollah was blamed by Israel for provoking the war in Lebanon.
Makhzoumi posted a brief message on X congratulating Beirut on the occasion of the Union of Associations of Beirut Families elections.
Hariri also congratulated the union, posting on X to hail its ‘‘new administrative committee’’ and salute ‘‘the spirit of democratic competition’’ among Beirutis.
Reactions highlighting the significance of the result have multiplied in local media and on social networks. LebanonFiles described it as ‘‘a Beirut earthquake,’’ while Adawla called it ‘‘the end of an era.’’
Journalist Mohammad Barakat wrote on X: ‘‘Beirut is changing and no longer identifies with Saad Hariri: the first clear defeat for Saad Hariri within the very Sunni body of Beirut, and of the Union created by the Hariri family.’’
Journalist Rami Naim, noting that this was the first defeat for the Future Movement in the Union of Families elections, described it as a sign of ‘‘the decline of Harirism in the Sunni street in general and the Beirut street in particular.’’