Byblos mayor resigns from post to run in parliamentary elections

BEIRUT: Byblos Mayor Ziad Al Hawat announced Friday his resignation as head of the coastal city's municipal council as he prepares to run for parliament next May. 

Al Hawat, who has been credited for positioning Byblos as an important tourist attraction with a vibrant nightlife during his term as mayor, submitted his resignation to Jbeil's deputy governor, known as Qaim Maqam.

Hawat had held a meeting with his municipal council the previous night to inform them of his decision, and expressed his wishes for the municipality to remain “one hand for the benefit of the city and its people, preserving all the recent achievements.”

Article 8 of the new parliamentary election law requires candidates to submit their resignation two years prior to the polls. However, since the new electoral law was ratified on June 15, only 11 months prior to the upcoming elections, mayors were allowed exceptionally to resign within 30 days from the publication of the new law in the official gazette.