The announcement by Tripoli's Mayor, Dr. Riyad Yamaq, about the cessation of the municipality's operations and workshops within its jurisdiction is not new to the city's residents, especially considering the municipality's performance has been declining for a while, amid tensions between the mayor and the council members. In a press conference, Yamaq stated that the municipality can no longer secure diesel for its vehicles nor cover maintenance costs, and that it will stop its work because the authority in charge has not approved a loan of 2 billion Lebanese pounds requested by the municipality. The authority referred to by the mayor is, of course, the Minister of Interior and Municipalities in the caretaker government, Judge Bassam Mawlawi, who previously referred the mayor to the financial public prosecution and asked him to schedule a session to elect a new mayor and deputy mayor for Tripoli.
Yamaq attempted to portray the municipality as being in a state of paralysis and incapacity, which is true, but at the same time, he placed all the blame on the Interior Minister, who refuses to sign a loan for the municipality to cover its needs. Furthermore, Yamaq did not spare some opposing members from criticism, accusing them of being motivated by the minister's recent decision regarding him to seek the mayorship rather than supporting him in these difficult circumstances. However, despite distancing himself from any responsibility for the situation of the Tripoli municipality, he deliberately or unintentionally ignored that the municipality, as an institution, has been effectively dysfunctional for a long time, and the disputes between its members and the mayor are not new. These tensions existed during Ahmad Qamar al-Din’s term as mayor and persisted with him, and the Interior Minister’s decision came in response to several complaints filed by council members to the ministry protesting the mayor's performance.
The municipality had not been in its best condition, and public accusations of negligence have been ongoing for a long time, culminating in the recent collapse of buildings in Dhahr al-Ma'ghar and the municipality's failure to carry out repairs, which residents view as a blatant disregard for their demands and a failure to uphold its duties. It is well known that the current municipal council came without the backing of the Hariri-Miqati alliance, with Yamaq coming to power without any political mandate other than the support of members who opposed Qamar al-Din’s leadership. The latter was unable to make any progress in the stagnant municipal work, and now his head is sought after by all active forces and parties in the city.
Yamaq’s insistence on holding onto the mayoralty has resulted in confusion within the municipality's operations; adding to this is the financial crisis that municipalities are facing, leading to a complete paralysis in Tripoli's municipality and its absence from fulfilling its role in many city-related issues. No one denies that Yamaq struggles to find assistance in performing his duties; however, no one can claim that he bears no responsibility for the state of the municipality, as one member stated, "Those who fail or falter or are stalled should resign, and Yamaq refuses to resign, which in itself perpetuates the deadly stagnation in the municipality."
