Listen to the article
The Constitutional Council rejected today, May 30, all appeals made against the law extending the term of municipal councils.
Following the decision, a source at the Constitutional Council revealed to This is Beirut that seven judges were in favor of rejecting the appeals, while three were against it”.
“The ones in favor obviously had strong arguments that supported their position, as well as the ones against and that’s how decisions are taken”, the sources commented without further indications.
Caretaker Minister of Interior Bassam Mawlawi had previously announced that the elections would be held on time and in accordance with the law. However, concerns over the financing of the elections turned into a significant point of contention among political factions.
The Constitutional Council had previously suspended the implementation of the law until it finished examining the appeals it received in order to decide whether to accept the appeals and reject the parliamentary law extending the term of the municipal councils or to reject the appeals and implement the extension law.
Of note, Lebanon’s Parliament voted in April to extend the terms of local officials, paving the way for the second postponement of municipal elections.
As the term of the municipal councils is set to expire on May 31, discussions intensified within the Constitutional Council.
“Discussions and debates are still ongoing to reach a constitutional result,” a source at the Constitutional Council told This is Beirut earlier today, May 30, adding that “there is no specific deadline for announcing a decision today or tomorrow, but efforts are underway to reach a constitutional decision by June 2.”
The source said that “discussions are still underway, as various readings are being considered before the final result is announced.”
“We hope for the best,” the source had concluded.
Mawlawi previously stated that “the cost of the elections should be secured by the Lebanese state, be it through the transfer of credit or Special Drawing Rights from the International Monetary Fund, while part of the funding may be covered by the United Nations Development Program.”
