Early Vote Results: Harb Wins Tannourine, Tripoli Coalition List Leads by Landslide amid Close Race in Qoubaiyat

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The fourth and final stage of the municipal elections was held on Sunday in the North and Akkar.

The Interior Ministry said that 5,976 candidates ran for seats in 273 municipal councils and 1,553 candidates competed for 740 mayoral seats.

Some 580,095 voters were registered in the North and 269,910 were registered in Akkar.

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq had followed up on the various administrative, security, and logistic preparations to ensure that the elections would be held without incident.

Mashnouq later told al-Jadeed television: “So far the final round of the elections is excellent and the voter turnout is very high.”

The Interior Ministry urged candidates to respect the laws linked to the polls and security forces to combat any form of bribery.

After the polls closed, the ministry announced a voter turnout of 26.9% in Tripoli, 43.8% in Koura, 54.4% in Batroun, 57.2% in Minieh-Dinniyeh, 61.6% in Akkar, 36.6% in Bsharri and 36.68% in Zgharta.

In the city of Tripoli, a list backed by resigned Justice Minister Ashraf Rifi competed against one backed by Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri, former Prime Minister Najib Miqati, and former ministers Faisal Karami and Mohammed al-Safadi.

A third list running in the elections was headed by former MP Mosbah al-Ahdab and a fourth one comprised independent figures and civil society activists.

The list backed by Hariri and Miqati is headed by Azzam Aweida and the one supported by Rifi is headed by Ahmed Qamri.

Polling stations remained open after 7:00 pm in some Tripoli areas due to the presence of voters within their premises.

Media reports said supporters of the Arab Democratic Party led by Rifaat Eid were asked to "head to polling stations en masse at 5:00 pm to vote in favor of Tripoli's political coalition list in a bid to prevent Rifi-backed candidates from reaching the city's municipal council."

Several hours later, early vote count showed that the coalition-backed list was leading by around two thirds of the vote.

Miqati said after casting his vote: “I met with Hariri and we decided to open a new chapter in our ties.”

“Hariri and I are working towards development in Tripoli.”

“Rifi is a part of Tripoli and no one can eliminate him.”

In the area of Batroun, some 60,000 registered voters were expected to vote for 309 municipal council members. The main battle took place between a list backed by Telecommunications Minister Butros Harb and another supported by the Free Patriotic Movement.

Citing early results, Harb and several members of the list said they expect to win by a landslide, amid celebrations at the campaign's center.

In Dinniyeh, over 115,000 candidates were supposed to vote for members of 34 municipal councils. In Zgharta, 76,000 voters were supposed to elect 333 municipal council members. In Bsharri, 50,000 voters were supposed elect 186 municipal council members.

In Akkar, the most heated battle occurred in al-Qoubaiyat between a list backed by the Lebanese Forces and FPM and another backed by Mustaqbal MP Hadi Hbeish and former MP Mikhail al-Daher.

Hbeish said after after casting his vote in Qoubaiyat: “I hope that voters will be motivated by municipal interests, not political ones.”

“Our sole reservation over the other electoral list in Qoubaiyat is that it was formed outside the town. A victory for our list will be a victory for residents of the town.”

Around 11:00 pm, both lists were running neck-to-neck in the vote count, according to early results.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections said a number of voters were seen "casting their votes and then handing over their IDs to the representatives of the 'Qoubaiyat Decides' list," which is backed by Hbeish and al-Daher.

And in the Akkar town of Bebnin, LADE accused the Justice and Equality list -- which is backed by the al-Masri family and other families -- of buying votes "for $50, LBP100,000 or mobile phone recharge cards at the Rafik Hariri High School."

The Zgharta municipal elections were marked by an agreement between former rivals -- the Marada Movement of MP Suleiman Franjieh and the Independence Movement of Michel Mouawad.

Franjieh said after casting his vote in Zgharta: “The electoral process today is being held through consensus and it has development purposes, which we hope will encompass everyone.”

Minister Roni Araiji, of Marada, said after casting his vote: “The agreement between the two sides in Zgharta is aimed at easing political tensions.”

The electoral process was largely calm although security incidents were reported in some Akkar towns and in Minieh-Dinniyeh where disputes among the voters in Kfar Habou disrupted the elections.

The security forces were quick to prevent the dispute from escalating and the elections continued smoothly.

A similar clash also erupted in Bakhoun in Minieh-Dinniyeh, but it was soon contained.

The Interior Ministry meanwhile announced that polling was briefly suspended in the Zgharta town of Deir Ashash after a fistfight erupted inside a polling station between a voter and a representative of one of the lists.

LADE had earlier reported that "a major security incident occurred in Deir Ashash" and that a "state of chaos" was engulfing the polling centers and the areas around them.

Security forces meanwhile arrested two people in the Zgharta district town of Aitou on charges of paying electoral bribes, state-run National News Agency reported.

M.T./Y.R.

Comments 2
Thumb liberty 30 May 2016, 05:26

Ashraf Rifi is indeed ashraf neiss. He won in Tripoli against all the ruling corrupt class. Well done!

Thumb ex-fpm 30 May 2016, 09:52

22 seats out of 24 so far is what this honorable man Rifi has accomplished. Miqati and Hariri's millions and Hezbollah's military might hit a brick wall in Tripoli. The people are fed up with this useless corrupt political junta.