The disaffected have expressed their discontent in recent municipal polls in Lebanon and in the streets of Iraq, two countries plagued by sectarianism and lingering threats of terrorism. Dominated by partisan politics, both have witnessed the rise of a cross-sectarian social movement critical of the countries' aging and out-of-touch kleptocrats. In Lebanon, municipal elections in May registered a decline in support for traditional parties, while in Iraq, protests denouncing rampant corruption in government have shaken the country. Is there hope for a new, political third way in the Levant?

Lebanon wrapped up the final round of municipal elections on May 29. In Tripoli, the capital of the north, a list headed by Ashraf Rifi, a former Future Movement-affiliated justice minister, won the majority of the city’s seats against a coalition list backed by Sunni heavyweights, including billionaires and former Prime Ministers Najib Mikati and Saad Hariri, billionaire Mohammad Safadi and the powerful Karami family.

“The elections have clearly shown the displeasure of the Lebanese electorate with the policies of local factions,” Paul Khalifeh, an analyst and editor of Magazine, a political publication in French, told Al-Monitor. “In several regions across the country, party supporters have refused to follow their leaders’ voting instructions. As an example, the Beirut Madinati list, which was comprised of independents with limited resources, was able to gain 40% of the Beirut electoral vote against a list supported by 11 Lebanese factions. A similar trend was observed in Christian and Druze areas, where parties appeared to be disconnected from their popular base.”

A similar rebellion occurred in Shiite areas, bastions of Hezbollah and Amal, which have also been disaffected, though to a lesser extent, than other regions. Solid support for Hezbollah translated into victory for the party in its traditional areas, such as the Baalbek-Hermel region, Dahiyeh (in Beirut's southern suburbs) and southern Lebanon. The devil, however, is in the details. Surprisingly, despite Hezbollah’s tight grip on its strongholds and its monopoly on weapons, independent and family lists as well as the Lebanese Communist Party still managed to compete and obtain a fair number of votes, including partial victories in some areas.