Kataeb Party advisor Elie Marouni downplayed the results of the recent municipal elections in Zahle, denying the outcome constituted a major defeat for his camp and calling for a thorough assessment of what went wrong.

“What happened was not a crushing defeat in Zahle,” Marouni told OTV. “Our list simply did not succeed. I’m calling for a post-election evaluation with everyone who supported the list to understand what happened, because it turned out we were misled the entire day.”

Marouni pointed fingers at Assaad Zgheib’s campaign team, accusing them of mismanagement and poor coordination.

“The team working with Assaad Zgheib did not run the campaign properly,” he said. “I didn’t meet MP Michel Daher either before or after the results were announced. I heard a statement from him yesterday that turned out to be inaccurate. We were surprised, especially since we believed Daher’s electoral machine was precise and effective.”

Marouni also took aim at Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea, who had framed the electoral results in Zahle as a victory for sovereignty and the memory of fallen resistance fighters. Marouni rejected that narrative, insisting the Kataeb Party has made greater sacrifices in Zahle.

“The martyrs came from our side. We have 600 martyrs whose names are displayed in front of the Kataeb office in Zahle,” he said. “I don’t understand why this statement was made if the battle was between the people of Zahle themselves.”

Marouni also criticized Lebanese Forces MP George Okais over a video circulated just hours before polls closed, in which Okais warned against a growing Shiite influence in the region; a tactic Marouni dismissed as fearmongering.

“The so-called ‘Shiite bogeyman’ that the Lebanese Forces tried to scare us with didn’t help Assaad Zgheib win,” Marouni said. “In fact, the LF received Shiite votes as well. In the end, we are all guardians of Zahle.”

He further questioned the role of Myriam Skaff, leader of the Popular Bloc, in the elections.

“In the Saydet el-Najat polling station — a stronghold of the Skaff family — Assaad Zgheib received zero votes,” Marouni noted. “Did Myriam Skaff really support Assaad Zgheib’s list? Because there are pictures of people from her office celebrating with the Lebanese Forces.”