Coalition Rejecting Extension warns of municipal election delay due to lack of funding

As the date for Lebanon's municipal and Mukhtar's elections in May 2023 approaches, the "Coalition Rejecting Extension" has expressed concerns in a statement about the election process, which appears to be moving towards extending the municipal councils. However, the Interior and Municipalities Ministry calls for voter entities and candidate nominations, and the coalition warns that this does not necessarily mean elections will occur.

Less than a month before the elections, the necessary funds must still be allocated. Other financial and logistical challenges arise from irregular work in official departments, a lack of available daily employees, in addition to other obstacles that deepen due to the positions of some of the major blocs who are skeptical of the possibility of holding elections and calling for their postponement. This raises concerns and indicates a lack of political will to hold the elections on time.

However, the coalition stated that, "while this entitlement turned into a matter of tensions and debates between the various political forces, from a political and unconstitutional perspective, the coalition emphasized the government and parliament's responsibility to secure the necessary funds to conduct the elections, especially as they were already postponed from May 2022.

This means they knew the need to allocate funds in the 2022 budget but did not. From this perspective, we deplore this path that began last year, which clearly shows the parliament and the government's disregard for dealing with this constitutional and democratic entitlement as a second priority.

The municipal and Mukhtar's elections are the most elected entities that closely reflect people's lives and living standards. The coalition condemns leaving possibilities open until the last minute instead of securing funds and confirming that elections will occur on time. This behavior undermines the electoral process and limits competition to those who are already financially ready to participate in the electoral process without prior preparation.

We also reject the exchange of roles between the government and the parliament, as each of them places the responsibility for securing funds on the other. In parallel, there are talks about the parliament holding a meeting to approve the extension of municipal and Mukhtar's elections for fear of "falling into a vacuum." At the same time, citizens have the fundamental right to elect new councils representing them, away from attempting to circumvent the situation and committing to the constitution, law, democracy, and the principles of rotation of powers and accountability."
In conclusion, the coalition calls on the Interior and Municipalities Ministry to adhere to the announced dates for conducting the elections in May and to work with governors and qaimaqams to receive nomination requests in the required manner and immediately determine and allocate polling stations for people with disabilities.

Furthermore, the coalition calls on the government and parliament to fulfill their responsibilities and secure the necessary funds for the elections on the date specified by the Interior and Municipalities Ministry.
The signatories of the statement include "Lebanese Union for People with Physical Disabilities," "Lebanese Democratic Women's Gathering," "Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections," "Lebanese Center for Human Rights," "Lebanese Trade Union Training Center," "Lebanese Center for Policy Studies," "Legal Agenda," "Lebanese Foundation for Permanent Civil Peace," "Alternative Press Syndicate," "Civil Society Movement," "Lebanese Transparency Association," "Nahnoo Association," "Committee of Families of Kidnapped and Missing Persons in Lebanon," "Lebanese Women's Rights Committee," "The Centre for Social Sciences Research and Action," "Kafa Violence and Exploitation," "Samir Kassir Foundation," "Maharat Foundation," and "Seeds for Legal Initiatives."