Report: Battles within AMAL, Hizbullah Expected in Municipal Elections

The Shiite powerhouses of Hizbullah and AMAL are expected to witness electoral battles during Sunday's municipal polls in the South and Nabatieh, reported An Nahar daily on Saturday.

The battles are set to take place between candidates among each party as opposed to the two parties themselves, political sources told the daily.

The Lebanese Communist Party will act as a third competitor in the polls as it has candidates running in several towns and villages.

On the eve of the elections, Speaker and AMAL chief Nabih Berri addressed southerners, saying: “These elections are aimed at development and showing loyalty.”

He urged them to vote for the lists that are included in an understanding that was reached between AMAL and Hizbullah, hoping for a heavy turnout that would demonstrate Lebanon's democracy.

He hoped that the municipal polls will serve as a precursor to the presidential and parliamentary ones.

The municipal elections kicked off in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 8. They were followed by polls in Mount Lebanon on May 15. The third round will take place in the South and Nabatieh on Sunday and the final round in the North on May 29.