In Greater Beirut Rafik Hariri was reported to have spent $5 million campaigning and his allies won 13 of the 19 seats.

His rival Selim Hoss was elected, as was independent Tamam Salam and Hariri critic Najah Wakim (Greek Orthodox).

One analyst estimated that Hizbullah would win 60% of the vote in a straight contest due to their popularity for their part in the reconstruction work following the Israeli bombardment in April.

Voting in Sidon was slit between Bahia Hariri, the Nasserist Mustapha Saad and an Amal candidate.

These included Salim Hoss, Omar Karami, Najam Wakim, Hussein Husseini, Sulayman Franjieh and the Hizbullah bloc.

They were Fawzi Hubaysh, Minister of Culture, Akkar; Emile Nawfal, Byblos; Henri Shadid and Khaled Daher.

[6] In November 1997 the Constitutional Court ruled against the new government's decision to postpone local elections for two years.

Interior Minister Michel Murr proposed that council members should be appointed in the security zone.