Lebanon - May 2025

From 4 to 25 May, long-delayed municipal elections were held across all nine governorates, marking the first such vote since 2016. After multiple postponements, the elections represent a significant step toward reestablishing electoral processes at the local level, following political, economic and security challenges. Conducted in four stages, voter turnout varied considerably across regions, ranging from 21.0 per cent in Beirut to 60.2 per cent in the Keserwan district of Mount Lebanon. Approximately 3,000 women ran as candidates in the elections, twice as many as in the previous election in 2016. In addition to municipal councils, voters also elected mukhtars (local officials responsible for civil documentation and serving as liaisons between citizens and state institutions).

Sources: Associated Press, L’Orient Today (1), L’Orient Today (2), L’Orient Today (3), MTV Lebanon, Jadaliyya