Lebanese Forces announces independent ‘Heart of Zahle’ list for municipal elections

ZAHLE, Lebanon — The Zahle Branch of the Lebanese Forces party has announced its participation in the upcoming municipal elections with an independent list named Heart of Zahle after negotiations with the Popular Bloc to form a unified list broke down.

In a statement, the Zahle Branch emphasized its efforts to establish a municipal list representing all community groups through an alliance with the Popular Bloc. The party underscored the significant concessions it made during challenging negotiations to ensure fair representation, reflecting its electoral strength as demonstrated in the 2016 municipal elections and the parliamentary elections from 2018 to 2022.

Asserting its wide popular base in Zahle, the party unveiled the Heart of Zahle list, headed by engineer Salim Ghazale and featuring prominent local families and dynamic youth figures. The list is being positioned as “the future” in contrast to “lists of suspicious interests.”

The Universal Syriac Union Party (USUP) in Lebanon expressed disappointment over the failed alliance but declared its full support for the Lebanese Forces list. The USUP particularly commended the inclusion of Syriac candidates, which it viewed as a step toward reclaiming lost community rights.

The division underscores the persistent political tensions in Zahle, setting the stage for a fiercely contested municipal race. Lebanese Forces has framed its campaign as a challenge to entrenched power structures, appealing to voters seeking change and progress.