Lebanese Municipality Elections 2016: Local Decisions with National and Regional Ramifications
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Christine Strassmaier & Peter Nassif * FOKUS | 4/2016 Lebanese Municipality Elections 2016: Local decisions with national and regional ramifications Municipal elections in Europe as in the divided between the March 14 and March May 29 and covering all Lebanese pro- Middle East usually hardly raise the atten- 8 coalition, both commemorating dates vinces. Lebanon’s municipal elections are tion of international pundits. In the case of of public rallies during the so-called Cedar therefore the last remaining institutional Lebanon, this is different, where the last le- Revolution in 2005. The March 14 coali- mechanism for generating a modicum of gislature elections have been held in 2009 tion known for its anti-Syrian stance and political accountability and their successful and the seat of the country’s president receiving support from Saudi Arabia is led completion increase pressure to hold ge- has been vacant from May 2014 on. Since by Saad Hariri, Rafik Hariri’s second son. neral elections in 2017. Similar to national then, parliament has extended its term Main players of the coalition are the Sunni politics, the presentation of programmatic twice, citing security concerns that would Future Movement as well as the Maronite platforms and concrete agendas for local render safe elections impossible. Therefo- Christian Phalange and Lebanese Forces. development are rare in municipal elec- re, the municipal elections that took place The pro-Iranian March 8 camp is domi- tions. Since traditional political families in four subsequent rounds during May nated by the Shiite Hezbollah and Amal usually ally themselves with national sec- have taken additional importance as the Movement, but also the Maronite Free tarian parties and candidates, the elections first public inquiry over the population’s Patriotic Movement (FPM). Due to the fact may be seen as a mirror to the national opinion on politics in 6 years – especially that all sects have to be represented within political climate. as these years have seen major changes in a Lebanese government, both camps the region: a civil war in neighboring Syria include several smaller parties belonging Despite their formal importance as stated has forced more than an estimated 1.5 to the sects not represented by major in a 1977 law, stating that any “work ha- million refugees into the country of only players, including Druze, Armenian and ving a public character or utility” is within 10,452 square kilometers and a population Christian Orthodox sects. Despite both municipal jurisdiction, the municipal level of approximately 4.5 million; Hezbollah coalitions’ rigorous division, there have has never gained this level of influence.2 has been deeply entangled in the fight in been several breakaways and changing This is mostly due to their poor financial support of Bashar al-Assad, and all other alliances over the years. Yet, the coalitions situation and the national government political groups in the country do have a represent the influence of regional powers cutting municipal mandates for political stance on the proxy war in Syria. This has and hence are easily affected by regional reasons: Almost half of the municipal fun- led to a stalemate of the political system developments, above all by the war in ding comes from local taxation, but many and in July 2015 resulted most visually and Syria. In parliament, both coalitions are in a municipalities’ small size and their inability sensibly in another escalation of conti- gridlock but shy away from new elections to actually collect these taxes shrink this nuous garbage crisis that lasted well into due to disputes over a new electoral law. budget immensely. Another source of fun- 2016 and led to large popular protests in Both Muslims and Christians are calling ding comes from nation-wide taxes and the capital Beirut. In light of these events, for a new electoral law which they hope other government sources such as from the elections turned out to be surprisingly would give their sects more favorable the ministry of telecommunications and competitive with local initiatives challeng- representation.1 The parliament’s failure is distributed by the central government. ing the country’s old political class that has to agree on key political issues concerning While in general an important concept to for years focused on keeping themselves gerrymandering and the vote of expat- redistribute wealth between richer and in power while leaving the country para- riate Lebanese has rendered reaching a poorer municipalities, the outcome is lyzed at the expense of the Lebanese. common legal framework impossible until mostly negative with funds being withheld today. Parliament did however agree on due to political bickering and corrupti- Municipal elections generate first political extending its own term twice: the first on. The missing resources make them accountability since 2009 time in May 2013 for 17 months, and the incapable of funding public works projects second in November 2014 for 31 months, and local development and regular public In Lebanon’s unique sectarian power- until June 2017. services. sharing political system, the country’s 18 sects fill political offices and create political In contrast, municipal elections proceed The issue of waste management in parties according to Lebanon’s sectarian at regular six-year intervals, with elections Lebanon is an example for the need to layout. Following late Prime Minister Rafik taking place in 2004, 2010 and now 2016. strengthen the municipal level. While in Hariri’s assassination in February 2005, Elections started on 8 May with the first most cities worldwide and even in parts of the country’s political scene has been of total four consecutive Sundays ending Lebanon, waste management is handled 1 Lebanese Municipality Elections 2016 FOKUS | 4/2016 by the municipality, the Beirut and Mount the disregard towards municipalities by Yemen only as worst case examples, cities Lebanon area use a system of centralized the Lebanese government is at odds with as the smallest administrative level have to waste management overlooked by the a general trend that shows citizens relying take up that responsibility. As a result, civil Ministry of Environment and managed increasingly on municipal services and a society will have to wrestle municipalities by the private contractor Sukleen. During decentralization of government. This de- from the grip of the old feudal families that the 1990s, dump sites in Beirut’s suburbs velopment is particularly important given have traditionally been in power. where used to dispose garbage until a that more than half of the world’s popula- sanitary landfill was opened in the town tion now lives in urban areas with strong The Outcome of the 2016 Municipal of Naameh, south of Beirut. Intended as a tendencies towards further growth: From Election temporary solution until a more sustaina- 1980 to 2010, the urban population in ble landfill was found, Lebanese central several Arab countries more than doubled, Since in many towns and cities the elec- governments have never been able to tripling in Palestine and Syria, quadrupling tions are fought out between the sectarian agree on a permanent waste disposal in Sudan and growing by a factor of 6 in parties reflecting the corresponding local solution for the capital and its densely Yemen.3 population, the municipal elections were populated surroundings. As a result, the used by most political actors as a testing Naameh landfill kept receiving garbage for More than any other region of the world, ground for their national standing. While a total of 17 years. Due to the absence of the Middle East and North Africa is an area most Shia areas were won by a coalition political agreements on the issue, almost of contested power structures. In recent of Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, no recycling was ever implemented. When years, the concept of the nation-state as it came to some close calls for them as the landfill was finally closed in July 2015 a central institution has been massively rival lists, often allying local families with after surpassing its capacity, no agreement challenged. With national states such as smaller parties, chose to challenge the on any of the alternatives had been found, Syria, Iraq, Libya effectively breaking apart, traditional parties. In Southern Lebanon leaving the garbage for the next eight numerous Arab states are decreasingly where Shiites make up the majority of po- months to rot in the streets of Beirut and able to deliver basic services while main- pulation, several towns and villages were in unsanitary makeshift dumps spread all taining their monopoly of power. States won by the Lebanese Communist Party across metropolitan Beirut. With the crisis in this part of the world have always had (LCP) and local families. A week earlier, in impacting the health and daily lives of difficulties in representing the collective Beirut’s southern suburbs (Dahia) – ano- Lebanese citizens, an activist movement identities of their inhabitants, but cities ther Hezbollah dominated area –several began to form under the banner “You offer an alternative structure that may ful- municipalities experienced very close Stink” and grew over the summer under fill this task more successfully. Major cities victories of the Hezbollah-Amal list against repression by the government and the are commonly centers of demographic, local lists.4 Besides being a protest vote political class’s inability to work towards economic and social clout and as such are