Kataeb’s Head of Public Policy and Legislation Lara Saade indicated on Wednesday  that "we have entered the electoral calendar in preparation for municipal elections, and the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities has published the electoral lists, requiring citizens to review and correct them."

"The ministry is expected to call on the electoral bodies starting from March 6 to participate in the municipal elections in May 2024. We are starting to hear about a potential third extension for municipal and optional councils, noting that the first extension took place in April 2022 under the pretext of its coincidence with the parliamentary elections, and the second in April 2023 citing the lack of allocated funds for holding elections and logistical difficulties. Today, the pretext is that there is an ongoing conflict in some towns in the south, " Saade said in an interview with Voice of Lebanon radio station.

"This pretext today is categorically rejected because when we appealed against the second extension before the Constitutional Council, its justification for not annulling the extension was to maintain the continuity of public services. However, what we observe today is that the majority of Lebanese municipalities are dissolved," she said, indicating that "there are approximately 134 officially dissolved municipalities, in addition to almost the same number of municipalities dissolved in practice. There are also 50 municipalities that have not held elections since 2016."

"Unfortunately, amidst the current circumstances facing the country, central state institutions are unable to provide services to citizens. This responsibility falls on municipalities. Therefore, today more than ever, we are in need of holding these municipal elections," she pointed out.

"Prior to October 7, the government did not intend to hold elections because it had not allocated funds for them within the 2024 budget. Consequently, there was no political will to conduct the elections before the outbreak of war. Today, under the pretext of 'war,' the extension will be carried out," Saade emphasized.

She also considered that "many political actors do not wish to hold municipal elections because they do not consider them a 'priority' on one hand, or because the current municipalities suit them better to maintain their power on the other hand."

Saade emphasized that municipalities are not ready today to continue their usual work, stating: "Unfortunately, when it comes to municipalities and decentralized administrations, the 'state' content itself with increasing taxes 10 or 20 times."