Mikati, Mawlawi agree to set new dates for municipal elections

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati on Wednesday followed up with caretaker Interior Minister Bassam Mawlawi on “the preparations for holding the municipal elections based on the law issued yesterday by parliament,” the National News Agency said.

“It was agreed that the Interior Minister would prepare the new and needed budget for organizing the elections so that a line of credit can be opened,” NNA added.

“In light of the new budget, the Interior Minister will set new dates for the elections as per his jurisdiction,” the agency said.

Parliament had on Tuesday voted to extend the terms of municipalities and local officials, paving the way to postpone municipal elections for up to a year for a second time. Some lawmakers were concerned the government wouldn't be able to secure the needed funding in time for polling.

The likely delay came as Lebanon’s economy and infrastructure continue to crumble, with legislators in the deeply divided parliament unable to reach a settlement to end a presidential vacuum for almost six months.

Lebanon’s municipal elections were originally slated for May last year but were postponed for a year because they coincided with parliamentary elections.

Opposition and reformist groups would win additional seats if local elections were held, as living conditions across the country continue to deteriorate. They have called for municipal elections to take place as planned in May, and most have boycotted parliament’s session.

Mikati's government and various major political groups in parliament, notably the Free Patriotic Movement, have accused each other of stalling the securing of funding and logistics that caused the delay.