Lebanon to deploy 20,000 security personnel for municipal polls

BEIRUT: 26,000 public servants will participate in the municipal elections and more than 20,000 members of the military and security forces will be responsible for ensuring the safety of the electoral process and polling stations, Interior Minister Nouhad Mashnouq said Wednesday.

"These elections are regarded as the most important in decades, especially since municipalities have demonstrated their efficiency in addressing challenges particularly the influx of Syrian refugees," Mashnouq told a news conference after chairing a meeting of the Central Security Council.

Mashnouq hailed the municipal elections as a "revival of the country's democratic process" in the wake of the extension of Parliament's term twice since 2013 and the failure of lawmakers to elect a head of state since former President Michel Sleiman left office two years ago.

The interior ministry has launched an advertising campaign on multiple media outlets to urge people to participate in the elections, Mashnouq said, dismissing claims that the polls will be adjourned.

"I tell skeptics that the elections will take place as scheduled," Mashnouq said, adding that Lebanese army bases will host polling stations in the northeastern border town of Arsal to ensure the safety of voters.

The town of Arsal, which borders the mountainous region of Qalamoun in Syria, was briefly captured in 2014 by Islamist militants who abducted more than 20 Lebanese soldiers and policemen.

After days of fierce clashes, the Lebanese army was able to regain control of the town and its outskirts, driving militant groups back into the mountainous border region.

The region has recently witnessed severe fighting between al-Qaida affiliated Nusra Front and Islamic State militants who are competing to consolidate their control over vital illegal border crossings.

The illegal border crossings represent vital logistical and supply routes for the militant groups who are facing increasing pressure on the Syrian side of the border.

Over the past few months, the Lebanese army has fortified its outposts and expanded its surveillance of the north-eastern border to thwart infiltration attempts by militants into Arsal region.