Lebanon: Lebanon postpones Local election by a year to stay away from paralysis
Tuesday’s vote in Lebanon’s parliament to extend the terms of municipal councils and other local officials delayed the timing of elections to prevent further political paralysis in a nation still reeling from economic collapse.
The presidency has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022, and there has been no agreement on who should take his place in Lebanon’s state institutions.
Additionally, the government is performing limited caretaking duties.
According to Bassam Mawlawi, interim Interior Minister, staggered municipal and council elections had been scheduled for May. However, the state has not yet secured funding for the elections.
Legislators endorsed a “specialized expansion” until May 31, 2024 for the metropolitan gatherings and nearby authorities liable for giving fundamental common reports, saying it would essentially shield one more state establishment from being exhausted out.
“Are we supposed to further paralyze the state?” Bilal Abdallah, a lawmaker, said that after the vote.
A few parliamentarians, including from the Lebanese Powers party boycotted the vote, it were an option to say races.
Others have questioned whether parliament can even pass laws, arguing that the constitution requires it to elect a president before doing so.
In the first vote since the country’s economy began to unravel in 2019 and a devastating blast struck Beirut port the following year, the current 128-member parliament was elected in May 2022.
In recent months, lawmakers have held multiple sessions to elect a new president, but no candidate has won a majority.
Lebanon’s economy has been injured by the breakdown of its cash, which has lost some 98% of its worth against the U.S. dollar starting around 2019, setting off triple-digit expansion and diving numerous into neediness.
