Suleiman Congratulates Hollande on Victory: Municipal By-Elections were Example of Democracy

President Michel Suleiman lauded on Monday the efforts of the Interior and Defense Ministries in staging the municipal by-elections on Sunday, congratulating them on their accomplishment.

He said: “The elections were an example of democratic practice in Lebanon.”

“They were a positive sign of rotation of power at a time where the region lacks locally elected councils,” he remarked.

“We hope that the calls for democracy in the region will be met in order to place the countries on the path of real democracy,” said the president.

Suleiman had held talks earlier on Monday with Prime Minister Najib Miqati on the latest local developments and Wednesday’s upcoming cabinet session.

He also sent a letter of congratulations to Francois Hollande on his election as French president.

The by-elections took place without incident in various regions in Lebanon on Sunday.

Interior Minister Marwan Charbel announced in a press conference at the end of the elections Sunday night that the turnout reached record numbers of 70 percent, while in others it reached 91.

The minister attributed the high figures to the people’s awareness of the importance of exercising their democratic rights, hoping that Sunday’s example would be adopted in the 2013 parliamentary elections.

He thanked the army and security forces for their efforts in making the electoral process a success.