Who runs local government in Lebanon?
Lebanon has over a thousand elected municipalities and, separately, elected mukhtars in every village and urban quarter. Above them sit appointed governors and district heads. After three postponements, municipal and mukhtar elections were held in May 2025, filling 12,849 council seats and 3,196 mukhtar posts. Religious communities also hold formal power over family law, and political parties and armed groups shape local life.
Lebanese Republic · Unitary parliamentary republic with confessional power-sharing · Western Asia
The levels of government below the nation
| Level | How it is chosen | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Governorates (muhafazat, 8–9) | Governor (muhafiz) appointed by the Council of Ministers | State administration; in Beirut the governor is also the municipality's executive. |
| Districts (qada, about 25) | District commissioner (qa'immaqam) appointed | Supervises municipalities and mukhtars on behalf of the Interior Ministry. |
| Unions of municipalities | Formed by member municipalities; led by a president chosen by member council heads | Shared services and projects between neighbouring municipalities. |
| Municipalities (1,065 in 2025) | Council of 9–24 members directly elected for six years by block vote; council elects its president (the mayor) | Local roads, waste, permits and local taxes; the president is the executive except in Beirut. |
Three questions about local power in Lebanon
Are local leaders elected?
Municipal councillors and mukhtars (with mukhtar councils) are directly elected every six years; mayors are elected by councils. Governors and district commissioners are appointed. Religious leaders are chosen within their communities.
Which laws set up local government?
Municipalities are set up by the 1977 Municipal Act; mukhtars by the Mukhtars Law. Religious courts are formal. Sectarian patronage and family influence are informal.
Who are local leaders accountable to?
Voters can replace councils and mukhtars; the Interior Ministry and district commissioners oversee decisions and finances; the Court of Audit and courts review spending. Parliament has repeatedly extended local mandates by postponing elections.
Traditional and customary authority
Lebanon officially recognises 18 religious communities. Each runs its own courts for marriage, divorce and inheritance, so clerics have formal legal power over family life. Political leaders of each sect (often long-established families, known as zu'ama) act as patrons who distribute jobs and services. Large extended families and clans influence municipal lists, especially in rural areas. In some areas non-state groups, notably Hezbollah, run social services and security networks alongside the state.
Community and neighbourhood power
The mukhtar is the most local official: an elected headman for a village or city quarter who certifies identity, residence and civil-status records and helps with paperwork. In larger places a small elected mukhtar council (ikhtiyariyya) assists. Civil society groups, family associations and religious charities provide much local welfare, especially since the 2019 economic crisis.
Points to know
- Municipal elections due in 2022 were postponed in 2022, 2023 and 2024 and finally held over four weekends in May 2025, with overall turnout of about 39%.
- Women won about 10% of municipal seats in 2025 but only about 2% of mukhtar posts.
- Many voters are registered and vote in their family's home village, not where they actually live, which weakens the link between city residents and their municipality.
- Beirut's municipal council is elected but the appointed governor holds executive power.
Local terms
- Mukhtar
- An elected village or neighbourhood headman who certifies identity, residence and civil-status records.
- Ikhtiyariyya
- A small elected council that assists the mukhtar.
- Za'im (plural zu'ama)
- A traditional political boss or community leader who acts as patron for followers.
Sources
- 2025 Lebanese Municipal and Mukhtar Elections: Key Results, UNDP Lebanon (data from the Ministry of Interior and Municipalities), checked 14 October 2026
- Lebanon's Constitution of 1926 (rev. 2004), Constitute Project, checked 14 October 2026
- Lebanon: local government profile, UN Women (Women in Local Government country profiles), checked 14 October 2026
See also: Lebanon's official statistics and leaders · the 10 levels of power.