On the eve of the launch of the municipal elections in Lebanon, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam urged citizens  to head to the polls in large numbers, describing the polls as a crucial step toward long-overdue decentralization reforms.

In a public message, Salam underscored the critical role of local bodies in rebuilding the country from the ground up, saying that revitalizing municipal institutions is essential to Lebanon’s broader recovery.

“We need to reactivate municipalities and their developmental role, because building up our country starts with building up our towns,” he said.

The prime minister described the elections as a starting point for implementing the expanded administrative decentralization outlined in the 1989 Taif Agreement.

“This is a first step; one we want to serve as a launch point toward implementing the expanded administrative decentralization approved in the Taif Agreement, but delayed for more than 35 years,” he said.

“That’s why I’ll leave you with one message: The ballot boxes are waiting for you," Salam concluded.