Uncertainty clouds Beirut municipal race as parity concerns grow

Report by Yazbek Wehbe, English adaptation by Karine Keuchkerian

Achieving parity in the Beirut municipal council remains a major concern, particularly for Christian religious and political leaders.

Beirut has 515,000 registered voters, with a demographic breakdown estimated at 66% Muslim, 33% Christian and about 1% Jewish.

Concerns about failing to ensure equal representation are growing amid disarray among key political forces, most notably the Future Movement. 

The party has distanced itself from the election process as an organization, though some individual members remain active without a clear direction.

Talks aimed at forming a consensus electoral list are ongoing. Key players include Christian parties, the Hezbollah-Amal Movement political duo, MP Fouad Makhzoumi, the "Association of Islamic Charitable Projects," and MP Nabil Badr. 

Some activists affiliated with the Future Movement are also involved, but the overall outlook remains uncertain.

According to LBCI, Christian parties have agreed on nine candidates and are working with other stakeholders to finalize three additional names from independent Christian candidates.

Meanwhile, there are reports that Ahmad Hechmieh, head of the Beirut Association for Social Development, is attempting to form a consensus list through outreach to various political actors in the capital. 

However, the Future Movement’s official position remains to abstain from both running candidates and endorsing any list.

Separately, MPs Paula Yacoubian, Ibrahim Mneimneh, and Melhem Khalaf are working to form a civil society-backed list modeled after the "Beirut Madinati" campaign from the 2016 municipal elections. Some candidates have already been selected.

Another initiative is being led by MP Waddah Sadek, who proposes forming a committee within three months to clarify the division of powers between the Beirut governor and the municipal council. He is also working toward establishing a consensus list in the capital.

While the principle of parity remains under threat, the fragmentation of the Sunni vote—which represents the largest voter bloc in Beirut—could help preserve it, but only if participants in the consensus list vote for it in full without crossing out individual names.