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Lebanon fails again to elect new president

Xinhua, January 8, 2016 Adjust font size:

The Lebanese parliament failed again Thursday to elect a new president, an office that has remained vacancy since May 2014, due to an insufficient number of MPs present at voting.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called for a new electoral session on Feb. 8, after the parliament failed to convene because of the lack of the constitutionally required quorum. Only 36 MPs were present at parliament, while the required quorum is two thirds of the 128 seats.

"Neither the local nor regional conditions indicate that a president will be elected any time soon," MP Marwan Hamadeh said following the session.

He noted that the deterioration of ties between Saudi Arabia and Iran will negatively impact the chance to elect a president in Lebanon.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 2014, after former President Michel Suleiman's term ended without the election of a successor due to the ongoing disputes between the March 8 and 14 camps over a compromise candidate.

The Saudi-West-backed March 14 favors the Lebanese Forces leader, Samir Geagea, while the Syria-Iran-backed March 8 camp supports the Free Patriotic Movement leader, MP Michel Aoun. Endit