Mount Lebanon municipal elections: Preparations finalized with extensive security and technical measures

Report by Petra Abou Haidar, English adaptation by Yasmine Jaroudi

One week before the municipal and local elections in Mount Lebanon, authorities are bracing for potential technical or security issues at polling stations. 

To ensure smooth operations, multiple support centers have been set up to assist voters, polling staff, and election officials.

At the Interior Ministry, two dedicated units are ready: a call center and an operations room, both accessible through the hotline 1766. 

The call center will be staffed by Internal Security Forces (ISF) personnel and UNDP-trained employees, who are equipped to address issues like delays in delivering ballot boxes, problems with voters' identification documents, or disruptions in electricity and communications at voting centers.

If a technical issue cannot be resolved at the call center, it will be escalated to the ministry's operations room, which includes representatives from security agencies, judges delegated by the Justice Ministry, senior officials, and ministry employees. 

In case of security incidents, such as disputes or disturbances, matters will be transferred to the ISF's operations room for appropriate response.

The Interior Ministry's operations room, located in the hall named after the late General Wissam al-Hassan, was inaugurated Monday by the Interior Minister alongside Prime Minister Nawaf Salam. It is connected to a centralized dashboard that links with the ISF's operations center, which monitors the security situation and coordinates units across the country.

On election day, the General Director of Internal Security will oversee operations alongside senior officers to ensure the proper distribution of ballot boxes, the orderly start of the voting process, and immediate response to any security breaches. 
 
More than 8,000 security personnel will be deployed under a detailed plan to safeguard the electoral process.

The Interior Ministry will continuously update voter turnout rates electronically on the shared dashboard. Although preparations are advanced, vote counting will proceed manually as in previous elections. 

Results will be transmitted from the heads of polling centers to the Mount Lebanon governorate through district centers before being sent to the Interior Ministry and published on the dashboard.

Meanwhile, the Mount Lebanon governorate and district centers are finalizing their own plans to manage complaints and issues on election day, with details to be announced once preparations are complete.