The parliamentary elections commenced at 7 AM across five provinces in 15 electoral districts in a calm atmosphere, supported by security measures initiated by the army and security forces since the early hours of the night. Voter turnout varied between districts, with reports from representatives of the National News Agency as follows:
**Al-Mazra'a Area (Beirut II)**
Voter turnout increased at polling stations in the Beirut II constituency, specifically in the Al-Mazra'a area, which recorded approximately 7% of votes cast by 10 AM.
At the Omar Bin Al-Khattab Elementary School, the ten polling stations reported the following turnout:
- Station 10: 52 votes out of 646.
- Station 9: 46 votes out of 650.
- Station 8: 50 votes out of 760.
- Station 7: 42 votes out of 700.
- Station 6: 48 votes out of 735.
- Station 5: 37 votes out of 665.
- Station 4: 42 votes out of 691.
- Station 3: 30 votes out of 450.
- Station 2: 45 votes out of 708.
- Station 1: 50 votes out of 674.
Other polling stations are witnessing an increasing number of voters, with only minor issues reported among representatives of competing lists regarding the right of citizens to enter polling stations. Internal security forces are managing the entry process.
The "National Agency" reported the atmosphere during the beginning of voting as follows:
**Beirut I District**
Voting began in the Beirut I district, which includes the Ashrafieh, Rmeil, and Mdoor areas at 7 AM, where 39 candidates are competing in 6 lists for 8 parliamentary seats. Present were department heads, candidate representatives, the European election monitoring mission, and LADE Association under strict security measures by the Lebanese army and internal security forces.
134,886 voters are expected to cast their votes for representatives in the parliamentary assembly to fill 8 seats: 3 seats for Armenian Orthodox, 1 seat for Armenian Catholics, 1 seat for Maronites, 1 seat for Greek Orthodox, 1 seat for Greek Catholics, and 1 seat for minorities.
**Nabatia**
Voters in Nabatiyya, numbering 159,448, are preparing to cast their votes to elect three parliamentary representatives, with 6 candidates competing from two lists in the southern third district amidst a very calm atmosphere. Polls opened at 7 AM in the 42 towns and villages of the district, under security measures taken by army units around polling centers, while internal security forces managed the electoral process inside the 253 polling stations distributed across 42 centers.
Polling officials prepared lists of voters at the entrance of each station. In the city of Nabatiyya, there are 37 polling stations designated for residents, located across 3 centers: the Hassan Kamel Sabah High School, which has 16 polling stations for voters in the Saraya neighborhood; the Nabatiyya Vocational School, with 13 polling stations for the Bayad neighborhood; and the Abdul Latif Fayyad School, with 8 polling stations for the Christian neighborhoods and the field.
Competing in Nabatiyya are 6 candidates from two lists:
- Mohammad Raad, Hani Qabaisi, and Nasser Jaber under the "Hope and Loyalty" list supported by the Hezbollah-Ama alliance.
- Wissam Ghandour, Wafiq Rayhan, and Ali Wahbi under the "Together Towards Change" list supported by the Lebanese Communist Party and various civil society movements.
Representatives from the Lebanese Association for Democratic Elections "LADE" and international observers are distributed within and around the polling stations to monitor the electoral process, alongside representatives from both lists inside all polling stations.
Nabatiyya's appointed governor, Dr. Hassan Faqih, has been monitoring the elections from his office since the morning, in constant coordination with officials in Marjeyoun, Bent Jbeil, and Hasbaya, as well as with the Interior Ministry in Beirut and security leaders to manage the electoral day smoothly and logistically.
Dr. Faqih visited several polling centers in the Marjeyoun district accompanied by the Marjeyoun deputy governor and the head of the Nabatiyya brigade to observe the electoral process.
**Jbeil**
In Jbeil, the parliamentary electoral process began this morning under security measures taken by the Lebanese army and security forces outside polling stations and the roads leading to them, especially in the southern hill towns, to elect two Maronite representatives and one Shiite representative among 21 candidates distributed across 7 electoral lists.
At 7 AM, 179 polling stations located in 87 centers across 85 towns opened in the presence of representatives from candidates and electoral lists, with no objections registered until now. Light voter turnout is expected before noon, while competitive activity is predicted to intensify in the afternoon leading up to the 7 PM closing time.
The number of voters in the district is about 80,000. The "National News Agency" reported that the electoral process was interrupted at a polling station in the Harajl town due to the arrival of ballots for the Jbeil area instead of those for Keserwan.
Additionally, the army suspended voting in two stations in the town where confusion and chaos occurred. The head of Harajl municipality, Tony Zghib, communicated with the Keserwan administration to update them about the situation, while the electoral process proceeded normally at other stations. It was also reported that voting in Joura Badran was halted due to the presence of some ballots intended for the Jbeil area.
**Baalbek**
In the Baalbek-Hermel district, the number of voters is 341,262, including 251,417 Shiites, 46,127 Sunnis, 23,960 Maronites, 19,467 voters from the Greek Catholic and Greek Orthodox sects, and 291 voters from various sects.
Voters in the Baalbek district are distributed across 141 centers, with 488 polling stations.
In the third Bekaa district of the Baalbek-Hermel governorate, 6 lists compete for 10 parliamentary seats, including one complete list: the "Hope and Loyalty" list, which includes candidates supported by the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, along with independent candidates. The list includes 6 Shiite candidates who are current deputies: Hussein Ali Al-Haj Hassan, Ghazi Muhammad Zai'ter, Ali Muhammad Salman Bishir Al-Muqaddad, Ibrahim Ali Al-Mousawi, Ihab Arouh Hamada, and General Jamal Muhammad Amin Al-Sayed. Sunni candidates include Yanil Salih and Melhem Al-Baridi, the Maronite candidate Colonel Hanna Hadchiti, and the candidate for the Greek Catholic seat Sami As'ad Al-Toum.
The second list is "Building the State," led by Sheikh Abbas Hussein Al-Johari, allied with the Lebanese Forces party represented by current MP Antoine Badawi Habshi. This list now consists of seven candidates following the withdrawal of three Shiites: Rafaat Naif Al-Masri, Hayman Abbas Mashik, and Ramez Nasser Qamhaz. The remaining members are Rashid Ali Issa and Hussein Ali Raad (both Shiites), Saleh Muhammad Al-Shall, and Zidan Al-Hajiri (for the two Sunni seats), and Eli Moosuf Al-Bitar for the Greek Catholic seat.
The third list is the "Change Coalition," supported by civil society organizations, which features 9 candidates: Abbas Muhammad Yaghi, Sherif Samir Suleiman, Sami Mahd Al-Tufayli, Osama Najib Shams, Ali Hussein Abi Raad (Shiites), Muhammad Mahmoud Al-Hajiri, and Khaled Ali Salih (for the two Sunni seats), Talal Elias Al-Maqdisi for the Catholic seat, and Yusuf Malhim Al-Fakhir for the Maronite seat.
The fourth list is "Independents Against Corruption," consisting of nine candidates, leaving one Shiite seat vacant. It includes Hani Ali Shams, Emad Ahmad Nasr Al-Din, Hassan Tawfiq Mazloum, Hussein Ali Darwish, Al-Sayed Ahmad Al-Sayed Muhammad Shukr (Shiites), Ali Imran Abdul Hamid, and Ahmad Shahadeh Kurnabi (Sunnis), Shouqi Tanous Al-Fekri (Maronite), and Abdullah Faraj Ad (Greek Catholic).
The fifth list is "Tribes and Families for Development," which, after the withdrawal of its head, Mahd Rashidi Zaiter, now consists of three Shiite candidates: Hassan Muhammad Al-Masri, Muhammad Dib Haidar Othman, and Shahrazad Ali Hamieh, as well as Sunni candidates Muhammad Ahmad Flayti and Ali Kalib Al-Mawla. The sixth list, "Capable," is supported by the Movement of "Citizens in the State," comprising four candidates: Muhammad Hussein Al-Jabawi, Sarah Mansour Zaiter, and Dhaher Sadiq Amhaz (Shiites), and the candidate for the Catholic seat Michel George Mahna.
**Tripoli**
In the Tripoli district, which includes the cities and towns of Tripoli, Mina, Qalamun, Beddawi, and Wadi Al-Nahl, 11 lists are competing for 8 parliamentary seats: 5 for Sunnis, 1 for Maronites, 1 for Greek Orthodox, and 1 for Alawites, with the number of voters at 438,254 distributed over 385 polling stations within 43 centers.
Voter activity appeared hesitant in the morning, but it is anticipated to increase as the day progresses, with no significant complaints reported so far.
**Kesrouan**
The awaited election day has arrived in the Kesrouan-Ftouh and Jbeil districts, where polling stations opened at 7 AM in the presence of representatives from competing lists in 69 towns and villages in the Kesrouan-Ftouh district. Morning turnout was quiet and subdued amidst a heavy security presence from the Lebanese army and security forces.
Approximately 96,000 registered voters in the district are expected to elect five parliamentary seats contested by seven electoral lists: three of which are traditional family lists (Afrem, Khazen, and Al-Boun), while there are two lists supported by parties ("Free Patriotic Movement" and "Lebanese Forces"), in addition to two civil society lists and change movements.
**Batroun**
The electoral process in Batroun commenced at exactly 7 AM under measures implemented by internal security forces located around and at polling station entrances to ensure the smooth conduct of elections, alongside patrols from the Lebanese army, all amidst a calm and orderly atmosphere.
Candidate representatives and members of the European election monitoring mission, as well as the Lade Association, arrived early to oversee the elections with the supervision of the Batroun deputy governor, Roger Toubi.
Registered voters in Batroun are to cast their votes at 143 polling stations distributed across 72 centers in 68 towns and villages. There are 62,444 registered voters who are concerned with selecting two representatives from the Batroun region in the parliamentary assembly from among 11 candidates distributed across 7 lists in the northern third district, some of which are complete while others are not.
**Beirut II**
Polling for the parliamentary elections in the Beirut II district opened at 7 AM today across various stations, as follows:
- Al-Bashoura: 7 centers housing 94 polling stations.
- Al-Masayta: 9 centers housing 125 polling stations.
- Al-Mazra'a: 11 centers housing 154 polling stations.
- Zuqaq Al-Blat: 7 centers housing 87 polling stations.
- Al-Marfah: 1 center housing 18 polling stations.
- Dar Al-Mirissa: 2 centers housing 21 polling stations.
- Ras Beirut: 5 centers housing 60 polling stations.
- Mina Al-Hosn: 3 centers housing 18 polling stations.
The voter count in the Beirut II district is about 370,000, who are voting for 11 representatives divided among sects as follows: 6 Sunni deputies, 2 Shia deputies, 1 Druze, 1 Evangelical, and 1 Greek Orthodox.
The "National News Agency" reported that the incident at the polling station at Lyceum Abdul Qader in Beirut II was resolved by the relevant parties, and the situation returned to normal.
A total of 118 candidates from 10 competing lists are contesting in this district, of which one list is complete and another is incomplete.
**Hermel**
In the Hermel district, polling stations opened with the presence of representatives from the 6 competing lists; there are 99 total polling stations in the district.
**Marjeyoun**
In Marjeyoun, 124,256 voters are expected to cast their votes at 192 polling stations distributed across 38 voting centers in 32 towns. In the Marjeyoun-Hassbaya district, there are two complete lists: the first is "Hope and Loyalty," including Ali Fayyad and Ali Hassan Khalil from Marjeyoun, and the second is "Together We Are Change," featuring Ibrahim Abdullah and Elias Geradi from Marjeyoun. The two lists are competing for five seats: two for the Shiite community, one for Sunnis, one for Druze, and one for Orthodox votes.
The "National News Agency" indicated that the election process at a polling station in Abl al-Saqi and Qabrihka was delayed due to the absence of sealing cords inside the ballot box, which was objected to by candidate representatives. Immediately, cords were secured for the Abl al-Saqi polling station by the Marjeyoun administration to commence the electoral process correctly.
Polling has not started in Qabrihka yet and is expected to be delayed due to distance from the Marjeyoun administration.
**Bsharri**
Polling stations in the Bsharri district opened in a calm atmosphere with security forces deployed outside stations designated for voters to cast their votes. Seven lists compete in this district: "The Pulse of the Strong Republic," "North for Confrontation," "Our North," "Unity of the North," "We Will Stay Here," "Awareness Your Voice," and "Capable of Change," with heavy turnout reported and a smooth and calm electoral process.
**North Metn**
In the North Metn district, 6 lists are competing for 8 parliamentary seats: 4 for Maronites, 2 for Greek Orthodox, 1 for Greek Catholics, and 1 for Armenian Orthodox, with a total of 183,562 registered voters, including 169,950 residing in the district, distributed across 360 polling stations in 96 villages and towns.
In Baskinta, which is the second-largest town by voter count, elections are taking place at two centers: the Official Completeness School and the Frères School, which together host 12 polling stations for 6,929 registered voters. In Batghrin, elections are taking place at the official school with 3,537 voters distributed across 6 polling stations. In Choueir, there are 4,642 voters across 6 polling stations at the Canary Hotel, and in Kfar Aqab, 628 voters are distributed across 2 polling stations at the town hall. According to the Kataeb electoral machine, more than 9,000 voters had cast their votes by 9 AM with a turnout rate of 5.4%.
**Koura**
In the Koura district, voters have begun arriving at polling stations, where 18 candidates are contesting across 7 electoral lists. Approximately 62,000 registered voters are expected to cast their votes at 48 centers, containing 128 polling stations.
The electoral process in Sidon began at 7 AM amid calm, democratic conditions, with representatives of candidate lists present. Citizens began arriving at polling stations, which total 16 locations encompassing 100 polling boxes, with security provided by the Lebanese army outside and internal security forces inside the centers.
A visit from the National News Agency to several polling stations in the morning indicated that the electoral process started smoothly without any issues or complaints from citizens. Increased voter turnout is expected as the day goes on. At the Nazih Al-Bazri High School, a notable number of citizens began to vote from 7 AM, with some waiting at the polling stations to cast their votes.
**Sidon - Jezzine**
Seven lists are competing in Sidon and Jezzine, three of which vie for five seats: two Sunni seats in Sidon, two Maronite seats, and one Catholic seat in Jezzine. The candidates include:
- The "Moderation is Our Strength" list, supported by the Shiite duo Amal Movement and Hezbollah, featuring Nabil al-Zaatari for Sidon.
- The independent "We Vote for Change" list, featuring MP Dr. Osama Saad and Dr. Abdul Rahman Al-Bizri.
- The "Unity in Sidon and Jezzine" list, comprising independent figures some of whom are supported by the Lebanese Forces, featuring engineer Youssef An-Nakib for Sidon.
- The "We Are Change" list supported by the "17 October Coalition," featuring Hania Al-Zaatari and Muhammad Al-Zareef in Sidon.
- The independent "Voice of Change" list features Rania Al-Tawil and Muhammad Ali Al-Tahir for Sidon.
- The "Capable" list supported by the "Citizens in the State" movement, featuring Ismail Hafoudah and Ahmad Asi for Sidon.
- The "Together for Sidon and Jezzine" list is supported by the "Free Patriotic Movement," featuring Ali Sheikh Amar and Muhammad Al-Qawas for Sidon.
This morning, Sidon Mayor Muhammad Al-Saudi voted at the Marjan High School polling station. After casting his vote, he expressed a wish for calm throughout the day, adding that rainfall is a blessing, and he hopes for success for all, with a special emphasis on prioritizing the interests of the city.
**Zahrani**
The electoral process has been ongoing since morning in polling stations across Zahrani villages, with significant turnout reported in the towns of Zahrani, Anqoun, Maghdoucheh, Al-Ghaziyah, and Darb As-sim up to 10 AM, achieving a 25% participation rate among both male and female voters. No incidents have been reported as of now, and voter turnout is expected to increase in the afternoon. The "National News Agency" reported some logistical and administrative issues in a polling station in the town of Anqoun, room number 3, due to a lack of lists. There were also reports from Kfarbait of an absence of records, while only 24 lists were found in Kfarbait, with the remaining lists attributed to Tyre.
**Minieh-Dinniyeh**
In the Minieh-Dinniyeh district, there are 57 polling centers distributed between 42 in Dinniyeh and 15 in Minieh, with a total of 187 polling stations—117 in Dinniyeh and 70 in Minieh. The number of registered voters on the electoral rolls is 122,678, distributed between 74,664 voters in Dinniyeh and 48,008 voters in Minieh.
Regarding the candidates competing for 3 parliamentary seats, they are divided between one seat in Minieh and two seats in Dinniyeh, with 20 candidates distributed across 11 lists in Dinniyeh and 11 candidates across the 11 competing lists in Minieh.
**Delays and Power Outages, Violations**
According to initial reports accompanying the start of the electoral process, "An-Nahar" noted that polling station heads prevented journalists from photographing inside polling stations, which the Interior Ministry confirmed as a violation. Four representatives from the "Building the State" list led by Sheikh Abbas Al-Johari, who is supported by MP Antoine Habshi, were expelled from the polling station yard in the Church square in the Baalbek district.
It was reported that polling stations near the city sports complex have not yet opened due to logistical delays. MTV's correspondent in Harajl noted the halt of the electoral process at one polling station after the arrival of ballots designated for Jbeil instead of those for Kesrouan.
Polling has also not yet opened in the forests polling station in Jbeil due to the absence of the head of the station up to the present time. According to MTV's correspondent in Metn, the voting process has yet to begin in the town of Mar Butrus because the head of the station forgot to bring the seal and red wax from the Interior Ministry.
Moreover, reports indicate power outages in some polling stations in Tripoli, especially in the Al-Tall area, and in certain polling stations in Baalbek. A large crowd of voters was noted outside the Omar Farouk High School, signifying significant turnout also confirmed in Dahr Al-Ahmar.
