The Independent Beirut Families list secured 11 of 18 seats in the Union of Associations of Beirut Families elections on August 29, with 238 voters taking part.
The Union of Associations of Beirut Families held elections to choose a new administrative board, with two main lists competing. The Independent Beirut Families list, backed by MP Fouad Makhzoumi, faced the Qouwatna Fi Al-Ittihad list, supported by the Future Movement and its allies.
The Makhzoumi-backed list won 11 seats with its candidates receiving between 109 and 139 votes. Jamil Hout led with 139 votes, followed by Nader Chaar with 137, and Ziad Dandan with 130. The other eight winners received between 110 and 126 votes.
The Future Movement and allied list secured seven seats, with Mounir al-Hafi receiving 125 votes, Rami Itani 121, and the remaining five candidates between 109 and 114 votes. A third list of three candidates also competed.
The result represents a shift from the union's previous political balance, where the Hariri family traditionally held the strongest position among Sunni voters in Beirut.
Mounir al-Hafi, a newly elected board member from the Future Movement list, cautioned against interpreting the result as evidence of broader political change in Beirut. He said the election should be read as healthy and democratic.
Hafi argued that the outcome of a union election involving 91 families and 273 eligible voters cannot determine how all Beirut residents view different political movements. Political affiliation among candidates does not mean the lists represented party politics, he said, noting that families often contain members with differing political views.
He described the contest as primarily social and community-focused rather than a party battle, and said his priority is for the union to succeed and serve Beirut and its people.
