Why would an environmental website be interested in Municipal elections? Some might ask. Well, municipal work is not far from environmental issues. On the contrary, the environment, and matters which affect it, are the responsibility of local authorities at many times.
For example, regarding the waste crisis in Lebanon, a municipality is the party that should come up with integrated waste management plans at different regions in Lebanon. There is a lot to be done from the concerned ministries, but then again, the role of the municipality (especially in sorting and treating wastes) is very important.
The Municipal elections in Lebanon will start on Sunday the 8th of May, in Beirut and Bekaa. While some Lebanese see a change in the elections, others have given up, and see no upcoming change in their country. How are the preparations being done for these elections, and most importantly, how are the elections monitored?
According to Samer Abdallah from the Lebanese Association for Democratic elections (LADE), monitoring is a very complex operation, which requires a lot of resources, effort, organization, and planning. In an interview with “greenarea.info”, he explained that “LADE has coordinators in all Lebanese districts”.
How is monitoring done? Abdallah tells us that “The monitoring operation is composed of three phases”, adding “We monitor the pre-election period when the campaigns start, and in this period we specifically monitor the performance of the election administration and the candidates”.
The Election Day is monitored of course, “which is more of a technical issue, but it includes lots of critical incidents that we report on”, says Abdallah.
He continues that “the association monitors the post-election period as well, when there are election disputes, so LADE observes how disputes are resolved, in addition to the performance of the relevant authorities on that matter”.
LADE has a large number of observers in most of the Lebanese areas where the voting is done. They will observe any violations being done on voting days. But, were there any violations observed in the pre-voting period?
Unfortunately, Yes! A number of violations were observed before the voting day. Some candidates violated the law by announcing their electoral lists from religious places.
How can citizens contribute in monitoring the elections? How can they stay updated on what’s happening on voting days?
If you want to know all the details about e-days, or would like to report any violation, you can download “LADE” application on your phones. The same app is being used by LADE monitors. You can also follow “greenarea.info” to know the latest updates and observe the reports.
Abdallah sees that “the trend is there, and that there is more engagement and involvement, but this should be left for e-days to see if this is reflected in increased voter turnout”.
The municipal elections are a chance to choose qualified candidates, who put the citizen and his/her daily concerns as their priority. So, let’s choose them carefully.
