President of the Republic Joseph Aoun inspected the Internal Security Forces headquarters in Achrafieh and received a briefing on the municipal and local elections in the North and Akkar governorates.

From the ISF operations room, President Aoun said: "I commend the role of the security forces and the work of the Ministries of Interior and Justice, noting that the first phase passed safely and smoothly, but we had hoped for a voter turnout higher than 45 percent."

He added: "I ask citizens to vote for the project, not for individuals, and for those who represent their convictions; we stress that financial influence should not come between the citizens, I hope for high voter participation, and I call on journalists to assist the security forces in curbing bribery."

The President concluded: "The issue of bribery in Mount Lebanon is being followed up by the judiciary and there have been arrests, affirming that the Lebanese state is back on the right track and what is happening sends a message to both the domestic and international communities."