BEIRUT, April 25 (Xinhua) -- The Lebanese parliament approved on Thursday the postponement of the municipal elections scheduled for May 12 and the extension of the mandates of the existing municipal councils by a year until May 31, 2025, the National News Agency (NNA) reported.
Despite division among different political parties, the decision was passed as a response to the security situation, particularly the ongoing military confrontations between Hezbollah and the Israeli army, according to the NNA.
The last municipal elections in Lebanon were held in May 2016, with elected municipal councils and local officials having a term of six years. The Lebanese parliament previously extended their terms twice consecutively: first in March 2022 for a year due to its overlapping with parliamentary elections, and later in 2023 for another year because of insufficient financial resources.
Tensions along the Lebanon-Israel border escalated on Oct. 8, 2023, following a barrage of rockets launched by the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah toward Israel in solidarity with Hamas' attack on Israel the day before. Israel then retaliated by firing heavy artillery toward southeastern Lebanon. ■
