On Thursday, June 26 from 11 am EST to 12:30 pm EST, the Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy (TIMEP) is proud to host an online event titled “Post-Municipal Elections Setback: Can Lebanon's Reformists Regain Momentum?” with Alaa Sayeg, Soha Mneimneh, and Ali Mourad, moderated by TIMEP nonresident fellow Jean Kassir.
The results of the recent municipal elections in Lebanon reflect the hegemony of sectarian political parties, and represent a severe setback for the country’s “Change” MPs and the broader reformist, non-sectarian bloc. These outcomes came about despite earlier optimism following the election of President Joseph Aoun and the appointment of Prime Minister Nawaf Salam, both of whom have publicly committed to a political and economic reform agenda. Ahead of the upcoming parliamentary elections of May 2026, the outlook appears bleak for groups attempting to put forward a political alternative. The municipal election results add to a list of mounting obstacles on the path to reform, actively obstructed by the entrenched interests of the financial and political elite, as well as the traditional media establishment.
In what promises to be a decisive year for the reform agenda and the country’s future, panelists will examine a number of key questions:
What are the factors behind the severe setbacks experienced by anti-establishment candidates in the municipal elections?
What do the municipal elections tell us about the state of political organizing and any momentum toward a reform agenda in Lebanon today?
How are reform-minded candidates recouping given these setbacks and thinking about the path for the 2026 parliamentary elections? How are they organizing in response?
What do Lebanese voters want to see from the country’s future parliamentarians?
Alaa Sayeg - Political figure specializing in socio-economic innovation - Alaa Sayeg is a Lebanese political figure specializing in socioeconomic innovation. He is notably known for his contributions to democratic parliamentary reform and policy development in Lebanon and the Middle East. Alaa is a fellow at the Stanford Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law. He’s the Founder of Ryzomes Social Enterprise, a vital partner to governmental organizations and international organizations like the United Nations, Oxfam, Friedrich Ebert, and Heinrich Böll.
Soha Mneimneh, Researcher, advocate, and 2025 municipal elections candidate - Soha Mneimneh is an Urban Planner and Researcher specialized in housing, land and property issues, urban governance, and urban politics. She is currently a lecturer at the University of Balamand, a researcher at Columbia University, and a research consultant for rights-based and advocacy organizations. She has contributed to several research projects documenting urban recovery, displacement, vulnerabilities, precarity, and just reconstruction within the context of Lebanon’s overlapping crises and disasters. Alongside her academic and consultancy work, Soha is actively engaged in advocating for urban rights and grassroots local initiatives in Beirut. She also ran for municipal elections in Beirut in May 2025.
Ali Mourad, Legal scholar and political activist - Ali Mourad is a Lebanese legal scholar and political activist, currently serving as an Assistant Professor of Public Law at Beirut Arab University. He has over 16 years of academic and research experience in France and Lebanon, and specializes in human rights, constitutional and administrative law, and electoral reform. Beyond academia, Dr. Mourad is a committed political actor: he was a parliamentary candidate in Lebanon’s 2022 parliamentary elections as part of the reformist Change movement. He continues to play an active role in civil society and public affairs, advocating for democracy, the rule of law, and accountable governance. He serves as a legal advisor to national and regional institutions and regularly contributes to legal and policy debates in Lebanon and the Arab region.
Jean Kassir, Nonresident Fellow, TIMEP - Jean Kassir is a Nonresident Fellow at TIMEP focusing on governance, politics, and economy in Lebanon. He is also the institute’s 2025-2026 Mohamed Aboelgheit Fellow. He is a political organizer and media professional, and the cofounder and managing director of Megaphone, a Beirut-based independent digital media outlet. Since 2011, Jean has been active in several political campaigns and collectives that offer an alternate path for Lebanon in response to decades of status quo, such as Mada Network and Beirut Madinati, which sought to reclaim Beirut’s municipal council. In addition to his role at Megaphone, Jean has worked at Amnesty International on campaigns protecting individuals at risk across the MENA region.