As the municipal and mayoral elections loom with the first round to kick off in the capital Beirut and the Bekaa-al-Hermel districts, 20 towns in the eastern town of Zahle witnessed uncontested victory of several municipal and mayoral lists, the state-run National News Agency said on Wednesday.

The towns that won the mayoral seats by acclamation are listed as follows: Hosh al-Ghanam, Chtaura, Wadi al-Arayish, al-Rasieh al-Fawqa, Raite, Deir al-Ghazal, Hay el-Sellom, Tal al-Akhdar, al-Ferzol al-Fawqa, Masa, Hay al-Sayydeh, al-Tawaiti, Wadi al-Delm and Anjar (Hay al-Waqf, Yoghon Olouk, Haji Jbeili, Betyas, Khodr Beik and Kabusieh).

Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi has allegedly visited Hizbullah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah a couple of weeks ago following a meeting he held with the French President Francois Hollande during his trip to Lebanon, al-Akhbar daily reported on Wednesday.

The daily quoted March 14 sources as saying that the two officials discussed the vacuum at the presidential post in light of a recent proposal to shorten the presidential term from six to two years as a temporary solution.

Efforts are ongoing to “deal” with the conditions set by the Free Patriotic Movement to get twelve mayoral posts instead of eight for its candidates in the municipal elections that are set to take place in Beirut on Sunday, An Nahar daily reported on Wednesday.

“Things will not reach a dead end and the FPM will not withdraw from the 'Beirutis List',” unnamed sources told the daily on condition of anonymity.

The cabinet is set to convene Wednesday afternoon to tackle several pending issues on its agenda but it does not include the controversial file of the State Security agency, An Nahar daily reported.

The cabinet's agenda includes 65 items and 116 draft-laws. It will not discuss the file of the State Security agency until Prime Minister Tammam Salam, who was tasked with finding a solution to the leadership rift between the agency’s chief and his deputy, concludes his mission.

Foreign Minister Jebran Bassil remarked on Tuesday that the existence of several foreign policies yields lack of national unity, reported the National News Agency.

He said: “This has resulted in the creation of such jokes as the policy of disassociation, which is aimed at evading disputes.”

Hizbullah has asked Marada chief MP Suleiman Franjieh, to uphold his candidacy for the presidential elections because the party is not willing at the time being to look for a third nominee other than Franjieh and Change and Reform bloc chief MP Michel Aoun, the Kuwaiti al-Seyassah daily reported on Tuesday.

According to the daily, Franjieh has planned to meet with Aoun in a final attempt to persuade him to withdraw his candidacy, as advised by Hizbullah.

Russian Ambassador to Lebanon Alexander Zasypkin stated on Monday that Moscow will continue to exert efforts and hold contacts to help Lebanon conclude its stalled presidential elections.

The municipal chief of the northeastern town of Arsal Ali al-Hujeiri, voiced calls on Monday for the postponement of the municipal elections in the town, citing the unstable security situation and polling stations that have been situated in remote areas, the Kuwaiti al-Anba daily reported.

“The security situation in Arsal does not allow the election process, particularly since the Interior Ministry has set, in collaboration with the Lebanese army, six polling stations two of which are four kilometers away from the residence of voters, which will affect their enthusiasm,” he told the newspaper in an interview.

Al-Mustaqbal Movement chief MP Saad Hariri met with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geaega where talks highlighted the necessity to elect a president and the need to unite efforts between the two parties in the upcoming municipal elections, Hariri's media office said on Monday.

The meeting took place late on Sunday in the Center House in the presence of Lebanese Forces media officer Melhem Riach and Hariri's adviser Ghattas Khoury.

Agriculture Minister Akram Shehayyeb assured on Monday that the trash management plan is going smoothly and slammed reports claiming that it is going in circles and is doomed to fail.

“The waste management plan is going the right way contrary to what some people think. The plan was initially put in order to prevent the crisis from reverting,” he told the pan-Arab al-Hayat daily in an interview.