North Lebanon elections descent into chaos and violence amid fraud accusations

The second round of Lebanon's municipal elections in North Lebanon and Akkar was overshadowed by serious irregularities, particularly in Tripoli, where blatant violations and security incidents disrupted vote counting and delayed the announcement of official results.

As of Tuesday, no final outcome had been declared, prompting calls for the vote to be annulled and re-run in the city.

Unlike other districts in North Lebanon and Akkar, where results were swiftly tallied and confirmed traditional family and sectarian power structures, Tripoli’s count was marred by irregularities, low turnout, and the exclusion of journalists from observing the process.

Leaks of early results showed surprising gains for a civil society-backed list, potentially upsetting the dominance of the coalition supported by MPs Ashraf Rifi, Faisal Karami, Karim Kabbara, and Taha Naji.

The delay sparked street protests, prompting Interior Minister Ahmad Hajjar and Justice Minister Adel Nassar to travel to Tripoli, while Prime Minister Nawaf Salam closely monitored the situation. He stressed the need for transparency and warned that the government would not tolerate fraud or tampering.

The Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections (LADE) demanded the annulment of the Tripoli vote due to serious irregularities and violations during counting.

LADE noted that some party delegates had been denied accreditation before the vote, undermining transparency and equal access. Post-election reviews revealed more errors, deepening suspicion over the legitimacy of the results.

North Lebanon and Akkar recorded the highest number of complaints and security incidents across all regions, including 675 formal complaints- 560 administrative, 50 security-related, and 65 media-related.

Security forces intervened in over 140 violent incidents and detained at least seven people during the voting and counting process.

A barrage of celebratory gunfire during the results announcement led to injuries, including to Lebanese journalist Nada Andraos Aziz. Authorities also arrested 34 individuals in connection with the gunfire.

Despite the developmental and familial nature of municipal elections, traditional political parties intervened heavily to maintain influence ahead of the 2026 parliamentary vote.

Christian factions clashed in Batroun and Zgharta, while parties coordinated alliances in some towns, such as Batroun, to secure control of municipal unions.

Traditional parties hold ground; Lebanese Forces lead in Christian areas

In the results, the far-right Christian party Lebanese Forces (LF), led by Samir Geagea, made strong gains in predominantly Christian towns, forming alliances with the Kataeb Party, Majd Harb (son of ex-MP Boutros Harb), and even running on a joint list in Batroun with their longtime rivals, the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), led by MP Gebran Bassil. The full list in Batroun won outright. LF also consolidated control in Bsharri, while Zgharta remained in the hands of Sleiman Frangieh’s Marada Movement.

In Akkar, traditional parties competed by aligning with local families. Bassil made a campaign visit to Rahbeh to rally Christian voters and succeeded there and in several nearby towns. Meanwhile, MP Walid Baarini, a former ally of Saad Hariri's Future Movement, framed the race in Fnaydeq as a personal battle and won, along with victories in Halba and Bebnine. The Christian town of Qobayat witnessed a rare alliance of political rivals.

Tripoli: low turnout, no clear political message

According to political analyst Khaldoun Sharif, Tripoli's elections lacked a strong political theme, which led to unusually high candidate numbers and low mobilisation. Without coordinated political machinery to rally votes behind complete lists, no bloc appears to have achieved full dominance.

Sharif added that the hybrid nature of alliances mirrored the post-2005 "quadruple alliance" of Hezbollah, Amal, Future Movement, and LF, noting that today's coalitions were driven more by strategy than ideology.

Political activist Jihad Farah told The New Arab that the Lebanese Forces had achieved a "mini tsunami" in districts like Koura and Batroun by tailoring alliances to each town. The biggest upset came in Chekka, where the LF, Kataeb, Majd Harb, and civil society groups broke the FPM’s grip for the first time since 1998.

In contrast, Farah said there was little civil society presence in most areas except Bsharri, where independents and activists formed a full list that achieved 44 percent of the vote. The FPM, meanwhile, suffered notable losses. Detailed vote counts, he said, would reveal the full extent of the shift.

Farah described the elections as a "rehearsal" for the 2026 parliamentary elections, with their impact expected to shape logistical preparations, alliances, and voter engagement going forward.