Empowering Local Governance: Why Lebanon Must Reform Its Municipal Law

Lebanon’s municipal elections, which have been underway for the first time since 2016, have come at a moment of deep national crisis. The country still faces massive economic instability, enormous political challenges, and social fragmentation. Yet, within this turmoil, the municipal level offers a rare opportunity for meaningful reform and a path toward reclaiming politics from sectarianism and patronage. Empowering municipalities - giving them real authority over service delivery, infrastructure, and local economic growth - could transform governance and daily life across Lebanon.

Lebanon’s municipalities are, by law, the smallest administrative units, endowed with legal, financial, and administrative autonomy. Their responsibilities range from urban planning, waste management, and infrastructure maintenance to supporting public health, education, and local economic initiatives. 

In practice, however, their effectiveness is hampered by chronic underfunding, excessive central oversight, and a fragmented legal and administrative structure.

The Value of Strong Local Governance

When empowered, municipalities become the first and most accountable line of government for citizens. They are closest to the people and directly responsible for daily services: roads, water, waste, public spaces, and local markets. This proximity means citizens know exactly whom to hold accountable when services fail. It breaks the cycle of blaming distant, sectarian “others” for local problems and forces a new kind of accountability rooted in community, not confession.

International experience confirms the value of strong local governance. In countries like Tunisia and Jordan, decentralization has enabled municipalities to tailor solutions to local needs, driving innovation in service delivery and economic development. In France, local governments play a central role in infrastructure, education, and social services, supported by a clear legal framework and predictable funding. Even in divided societies, such as Bosnia and Herzegovina, decentralized governance has helped reduce ethnic tensions by giving communities real control over their affairs while maintaining national unity. 

Service Delivery: Innovation and Accountability

Lebanon’s recent history offers clear examples of how empowered municipalities can innovate where the central government fails. During the 2015 waste crisis, some municipalities devised local solutions for collection and recycling, while the national government floundered. Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, local councils organized emergency responses, distributed aid, and implemented health measures, often more effectively than the state. When Syrian refugee flows overwhelmed public services, international aid agencies frequently bypassed the central government, working directly with municipalities to deliver support.

Yet, these successes are exceptions. Most municipalities lack the resources, authority, or technical capacity to address even basic needs, in addition to the corruption that hammers the effectiveness. More than 70% of Lebanon’s municipalities serve fewer than 4,000 residents, and 38% have just one employee. Municipal councils’ decisions are subject to prior approval by the district commissioner, governor, and the Ministry of Interior system, which stifles initiative and delays action. 

The proliferation of tiny, under-resourced municipalities - now more than 1,060, nearly 10 times that of Jordan and triple that of Tunisia - reflects decades of political patronage, not strategic planning. Many exist only to serve the interests of local notables, further fragmenting governance and weakening service delivery.

Infrastructure and Economic Growth

Infrastructure is the backbone of local development. Municipalities are legally responsible for roads, water, electricity, public spaces, and environmental management. However, financial dependence on the central government stymied their ability to plan and execute projects. The Independent Municipal Fund pools taxes and fees for distribution to municipalities and is plagued by delays and opaque allocation criteria. In 2024, half of all municipalities received less than 250 million Lebanese pounds (about $20,000) from the Fund, barely enough to maintain basic services, let alone invest in new projects.

Empowering municipalities to collect and manage their own revenues, set local tax rates, and access new funding sources would enable them to invest in infrastructure and spur local economic growth. Municipalities could levy taxes on vacant properties, local businesses, or tourism, and reinvest the proceeds in roads, markets, or public amenities. They could also form partnerships with the private sector or international donors for larger projects, as seen in Jordan and Morocco.

Municipal unions and federations of municipalities would offer a way to pool resources and tackle projects that exceed the capacity of any single council. However, about 75% of municipalities in Lebanon belong to or collaborate with such unions, and their effectiveness varies widely. Strengthening these unions, clarifying their mandates, and ensuring fair representation could address regional disparities and promote more balanced development.

Reclaiming Accountability and Reducing Sectarianism

Perhaps the greatest promise of municipal empowerment is political: it shifts the locus of accountability from distant, sectarian actors to directly elected local officials. In Lebanon’s current system, citizens vote in their ancestral villages, not where they live and pay taxes. This disconnect undermines accountability and allows national parties to manipulate local politics through patronage, family alliances, and sectarian mobilization. Reforming the electoral law to allow voting based on residency, supported by introducing “megacenters” for urban voters, would make municipalities more responsive to their constituents and less vulnerable to sectarian manipulation.

When citizens see their taxes at work in their own neighborhoods, they are more likely to demand results and less likely to accept excuses. This dynamic is the foundation of democratic accountability. It also encourages a politics of practical problem-solving, rather than zero-sum sectarian competition. In Tunisia, for example, decentralization has helped foster a new generation of local leaders focused on service delivery and community development, rather than identity politics.

Overcoming Patronage and Nepotism

Lebanon’s municipal system is deeply entangled with patronage networks. The proliferation of small, unviable municipalities has allowed political elites to reward supporters with jobs, contracts, and influence. Centralized control over funding and approvals reinforces these networks, as local councils must curry favor with national politicians to secure resources. This system breeds inefficiency, waste, and corruption.

Empowering municipalities, backed by transparent financial management, independent audits, and open data, would make it harder for elites to hide behind bureaucracy or sectarianism. Citizens could see how funds are spent, track progress on projects, and hold local officials to account. International best practices, such as e-governance and participatory budgeting, can further strengthen transparency and trust.

The Need for Comprehensive Reform

Legal and administrative reform is essential. Lebanon’s municipal law dates back to 1977 and is riddled with ambiguities, overlapping authorities, and excessive central oversight. Municipal councils’ decisions are subject to prior approval by the district commissioner, governor, and the Ministry of Interior system, which stifles initiative and delays action. Reform proposals have called for a clear delineation of municipal powers, streamlined approval processes, and the abolition of unnecessary bureaucratic hurdles.

Financial reform is equally urgent. Municipalities must be able to collect and manage their own revenues, access predictable transfers from the central government, and borrow for investment projects. The distribution of funds from the Independent Municipal Fund should be based on transparent, objective criteria, such as population, area, and development needs, not political favoritism.

Electoral reform is also critical. Moving from a majoritarian to a proportional representation system would give minorities and independents a fairer chance, reduce family monopolies, and encourage more programmatic competition. Implementing gender quotas, as proposed by civil society and some MPs, would help address the severe underrepresentation of women in local councils, currently just 5.4%.

Lessons from Abroad

Countries emerging from conflict or grappling with deep divisions have often turned to decentralization as a way to rebuild trust and foster innovation. Municipal governments have played a key role in post-war reconstruction, service delivery, and economic development in Bosnia and Herzegovina, despite ongoing ethnic tensions. In Tunisia, the 2014 constitution enshrined local autonomy, leading to a wave of municipal reforms that have improved service delivery and citizen engagement.

Jordan’s experience is also instructive. Municipalities have been given greater responsibility for local planning, infrastructure, and economic development, supported by capacity-building programs and international partnerships. While challenges remain, these reforms have helped create more responsive, accountable, and innovative local governments.

The Road Ahead

Lebanon’s upcoming municipal elections are more than a routine exercise- they test the country’s ability to renew its politics bottom-up. Empowering municipalities is not a panacea. It will not resolve Lebanon’s economic crisis or political deadlock by itself. Nevertheless, it is a necessary step toward a more accountable, responsive, and innovative state.

Local government is where politics can become practical again, where citizens can see real results, hold leaders accountable, and build a shared purpose that transcends sectarian and patronage divides. For Lebanon, the choice is clear: reform the municipal system, empower local communities, and reclaim politics for the people, or risk further fragmentation and decline.

The time for reform is now. The country’s future may well depend on it.