Mashnouq Reschedules Municipal Elections Due to Holidays

Interior Minister Nouhad al-Mashnouq said on Friday that the upcoming municipal elections will kick off on May 15 instead of May 9 so they will not coincide with the holidays.

He slammed reports that the elections have been postponed and emphasized that they were only rescheduled because they coincide with Labor Day and Easter holiday.

In February, Mashnouq announced the dates on which the municipal and mayoral elections will be held in the various Lebanese regions.

The municipal elections were set to be held in Mount Lebanon on May 1, in Beirut and the Bekaa on May 15, in South and Nabatiyeh on May 22, and in the North and Akkar on May 29.

The government had approved the funding of the upcoming polls during a February 2 cabinet session.

There have been fears that the municipal polls could meet the same fate of the parliamentary elections, which have been postponed two times in recent years over alleged security concerns.