Interior Minister Hajjar says Tripoli vote count nearing completion, denies fraud

Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar announced that the vote count for the Tripoli municipal elections is nearing completion.

Speaking ahead of the Cabinet session, Hajjar assured that "all ballots are accounted for—nothing has disappeared." He explained that a full recount was necessary in some polling stations but stressed that there was no tampering or fraud.

"Due to the absence of some election staff, we had to rely on others who lacked experience in the electoral process, which led to some irregularities during the count," he said. "This is a fact we do not deny. However, the process occurred in the presence of candidate representatives and media outlets, so there was no room for falsification."

He noted that the preliminary counting committees, which are presided over by judges, ordered recounts wherever they found discrepancies. 

"These committees made an enormous effort, and the recount took a long time, but it was essential to ensure transparent and accurate results," he added.

When asked whether a partial re-run of the elections might occur, Hajjar responded: "The Interior Ministry is not authorized to call for new elections. Those who wish to contest the results can do so before the State Council once the final results are announced."