The Lebanese Parliament decided on Tuesday to postpone the municipal elections that were to be held next month, for the second time in two years, amid political paralysis and economic collapse in a country where constitutional deadlines are rarely respected.

And the House of Representatives approved, according to what was announced, “a proposal for an accelerated repeated law aimed at the technical extension of municipal and elective councils,” provided that their term ends “as a maximum until 5/31/2024.”

Municipal and optional elections are held in Lebanon every six years. The last time it took place was in 2016, and it was supposed to be held last year, but in March 2022 Parliament approved the extension of the municipal councils for a year, due to the ongoing crisis since 2019.

Several factors, logistical and financial, are preventing the elections from being held today, despite calls from the international community to adhere to their date.

As with every election in Lebanon, the political forces are divided between supporters and opponents, and share responsibilities, so that some parliamentary blocs considered Tuesday's parliament session "unconstitutional", but the deputies secured a sufficient quorum to hold it, and it ended quickly after the decision to extend the municipal councils was taken. .

"I encourage all concerned parties to support efforts to hold elections on time and enable the Lebanese people to exercise their democratic rights," said the United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Joanna Wronica, at the beginning of this month.

However, Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Bou Saab said last week that "the issue of holding municipal and elective elections has become an issue that has become almost impossible," speaking of questions that the Minister of Interior, who declared his readiness to hold elections in May, should answer, including funding.

Postponement of municipal elections is not a new matter in political practice in Lebanon. The system of settlements and quotas between political and sectarian forces often delays important decisions, including forming a government, electing a president, or even parliamentary elections.

The economic collapse that has afflicted the country since 2019 has exacerbated the situation, with the great scarcity of liquidity and the inability of the authorities to contain it.

The Lebanese parliament has failed 11 times to elect a president despite the post being vacant for more than five months, due to deep political divisions.