Following the recent municipal elections in the Metn district, some political groups that suffered significant losses have launched a systematic campaign aimed at discrediting the new electoral landscape, distorting facts, and sowing confusion among newly elected local councils.

The campaign—led by a political faction that lost in the majority of Metn towns—has centered on spreading rumors of an internal rift between the Lebanese Kataeb Party and the Lebanese Forces over the presidency of the Metn Union of Municipalities. Speculation has focused on Mirna el-Murr, whose name has been floated as a potential candidate for another term at the helm of the union.

However, the facts on the ground tell a very different story.

Election results show that the majority of Metn municipalities were won by slates supported by the Kataeb Party, with direct or indirect backing from the Lebanese Forces and several allied independents. These outcomes leave little doubt that the political balance within the union now tilts decisively toward the Kataeb–LF alliance. As such, the narrative of “division and fragmentation” circulated by circles close to the El-Murr family appears to be little more than a desperate attempt to deflect attention from their electoral defeat and to revive a fading legacy of political influence.

Sources familiar with the matter say the Kataeb and Lebanese Forces had already agreed to back Nicole Gemayel, Mayor of Bikfaya, for the union presidency. This agreement is reportedly fueling anxiety within Mirna el-Murr’s camp, where concerns are mounting not only over the loss of influence but also growing criticism of her previous tenure as union president. Detractors cite shortcomings in administration, development planning, and the enforcement of zoning regulations.

Many in Metn argue that during El-Murr’s term, the union failed to produce meaningful results, squandering its broad mandate without delivering tangible progress. Instead, her leadership was marked by allegations of poor governance and a lack of transparency. The setbacks suffered by El-Murr-aligned candidates in several long-standing strongholds are seen by many as a direct response to that underperformance.

Claims from El-Murr’s allies that the race for the union presidency is already decided in her favor seem increasingly detached from political reality. Given the new municipal composition, it will be difficult for her camp to impose its vision. Voters in Metn have made their message clear: they want change, and they have voted for it.

The political era in which the Union of Municipalities served as a vehicle for consolidating family or personal influence is over. Those still clinging to the illusions of the past continue to resist change through distortion and misinformation, but they are losing ground to a new political reality, shaped not by backroom maneuvers, but by the decisive voice of Metn’s voters.

This is an English adaptation of an article originally published on the Transparency News website.