Lebanese MPS fail to elect president

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Parliament on Thursday failed to elect a new president, with the majority of lawmakers casting blank ballots and some walking out.

The failure pointed out deep political divisions that threaten prolonged political paralysis and a leadership void at time where Lebanon is suffering an economic meltdown and has struggled to reach an agreement with the International Monetary Fund for a bailout.

Parliament’s deep divisions between Hizollah and allies, traditional political adversaries, and a dozen reformist legislators continues to intensify.

In recent months, no majority or consensus candidate in parliament has emerged.

The six-year term of incumbent President Michel Aoun ends on Oct.31.

He is a retired military general and an ally of Hizbollah and was elected in October 2016 following a similar political stalemate that lasted two years.

Underlebanon’sfragilesectarianpower-sharing system, the country’s 128-member parliament votes for a president, who must be a Maronite Christian.

Lebanon has also been without a full-fledged government since May, and currently functions in a limited caretaker capacity under Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

One hundred twenty-two legislators atended Thursday’s session and cast their paper ballots into a wooden box in Parliament’s assembly hall.

Over half cast blank ballots, while lawmaker Michel Mouawad, the son of a former president and staunch opponent of Hizbollah, received 36 votes.

The remaining dozens of votes were split between entrepreneur and philanthropist Salim Edde and protest votes, including one for Mahsa Amini, the 22 year-old Iranian woman who died ater the Islamic Republic’s morality police detained her.

Dozens of lawmakers let ater Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri called for a recount, breaking the session’s required quorum. He did not announce the date of a new session.

Senior Hizbollah legislator Mohammad Raad said the crisis-hit country’s parliamentary blocs are in the “early stages” of finding a president who would “bring stability to the country.”

“The blocs need to discuss and develop an understanding over a possible consensus candidate,” Raad told the press.

Independent lawmaker Halime Kaakour, meanwhile, blasted lawmakers for what she called a “negative calm with no consensus,”fearing a prolonged delay in electing a new president.