Tripoli left without mayor after vote of no confidence

The Daily Star

Tripoli will be without a mayor and deputy mayor until Friday, after former Mayor Ahmad Qamareddine and former Deputy Mayor Khaled al-Wali were ousted by the Tripoli Municipal Council. The council members Tuesday gave Qamareddine and Wali votes of no confidence in a meeting headed by the ex-mayor in the presence of north Lebanon Gov. Ramzi Nohra.

Qamareddine had called for a vote of confidence at the beginning of the session, according to the state-run National News Agency.

He lost the vote 13-5, with another five council members submitting blank ballots, the NNA said. Wali lost a separate vote of confidence 12-10, with a 23rd ballot blank.

After the results were announced, Nohra headed a session to elect a new mayor and deputy mayor. But an altercation broke out, with one group of council members accusing another of betrayal, local media reported.

As a result of the fight, a group of council members left the room, leaving only 11 and resulting in a loss of quorum. “We were ready to choose a new mayor and deputy mayor but then everybody left the room,” one council member told local news channel MTV.

A vote for electing new officials will be held at 10 a.m. Friday, Qamareddine told The Daily Star.

“Of course we hope there will be full attendance,” Nohra said in a news conference.