Due to the country’s worsening economic and financial situation, with the dollar surpassing 100,000 pounds and fuel prices skyrocketing, Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi has called for municipal elections in May. However, many are questioning how feasible this is, given the current lack of funds and preparation.
The first step towards candidacy for municipal or parliamentary positions is obtaining a registration certificate from the civil registry office. However, with offices likely to have limited opening hours and a huge number of candidates (such as the reported 5,000 in Akkar), it is unclear how this process will be manageable.
Even if this hurdle is overcome, there is a staff strike and many employees are not attending their duty stations, further slowing down the preparation process. The Ministry of Finance has not issued a decision for daily attendance, and there has not been a meeting with governors or district governors to discuss readiness.
Overall, holding municipal elections seems highly unlikely given the logistical, administrative, and financial difficulties. The state does not appear to be prioritizing citizen needs and the cost of registration extraction is difficult for many to bear. It is highly probable that there will be no possibility for completing the municipal entitlement.
In light of the deteriorating economic and financial conditions the country is going through, and following the dollar crossed the threshold of 100,000 pounds, the insane rise in fuel prices, and the increase in poverty, Interior Minister Bassam al-Mawlawi did it and sparked the municipal elections that are supposed to take place next May.
In early April, the aforementioned minister launched the spark for the upcoming municipal elections, and whoever hears or reads that call feels the need to forget the situation the country is going through, and the question here is: “How can these elections be held in light of the lack of disbursement of funds until now? If we overcome this obstacle, what do we do with the preparations while we are Before the holidays for Easter among Christians who follow the Western and Eastern calendars, followed by the Eid Al-Fitr holiday?
Submission of nominations
The journey of the municipal and parliamentary elections goes through stages, and before talking regarding the readiness to complete the electoral process, let us stop a little at the stages that precede it, and the first of which is the stage of candidacy for the municipal elections in the governorates of the north as well as the south, followed by the rest of the governorates. For membership or the presidency of a municipality, or even for elected officials, one needs to go to the civil registry office to obtain a registration certificate. Let us start from here: “Are civil registry offices open every day, and how can all requests be met?”
Beyond that, let us take the example of Akkar, which has regarding five thousand candidates. According to informed sources, she “gets between 200 and 300 registration extracts per week, while she needs this number daily,” adding: “If we pass this stage and reach the second stage, which is to come to the district office for registration, then how will the process go there and the employees until now refuse come to their duty stations.
staff strike
“And if we also assume that we pass the second stage ‘cut off’ and the employees attend, then instead of there being 12 people, there will be three people.” Here, the sources indicate that “a paper will be given for the candidacy to pay the allowance in the Ministry of Finance. Is it ready for this task and the employees come to work one day a week, and the program is broken most of the time, and until today, Minister of Finance Youssef Khalil has not issued a decision for the employees to attend daily to the ministry?” .
The sources do not hide that there is a real problem in completing the preparations, and we should not forget that there are many holidays this month because of the holidays, and what remains is ten days, no more, to complete 5,000 nominations with three employees during working hours in Akkar, for example, so is that reasonable? She added: “Even the advance to secure the employees’ attendance at their work was not secured, and if it was agreed to give it to the governors, how can the preparations be completed in the period remaining to complete the process?”
Do not communicate
The sources assert that “the entire process is not regulated, as even the basic stationery for the elections has not yet been secured.” The sources conclude by saying that “the Minister of Interior announced the elections, and until today he has not summoned the governors and district governors or held a meeting with them to ask them even regarding readiness, and the last meeting between him and them was Last May, how can municipal elections be held in this situation?
Practically and on the ground, it is very difficult to hold municipal elections, but despite that, the Ministry of Interior is still conducting them with the “flags” as if they are actually taking place. On the other hand, all those concerned agree that it is logistically, administratively, and financially difficult to carry out or even prepare for…but unfortunately, the state, until now, does not feel the citizen who needs to move to complete the registration extraction, and this cost in itself is not easy due to the high prices of fuel and transactions, and it will eventually come on It is more likely to say to him, “There is no possibility to complete the municipal entitlement.”
In conclusion, while the announcement of municipal elections in Lebanon may have brought some hope and a semblance of normality amidst an economic and financial crisis that seems to have no end, the reality on the ground tells a different story. With a lack of disbursement of funds, an unprepared and ill-equipped administrative and logistical system, and a general feeling of apathy and neglect towards the citizenry, it remains to be seen whether these elections can truly take place. It is a sad state of affairs when the basic right of citizens to vote and have a say in their local government is being impeded by a system that cannot even provide them with the means to exercise that right.
