ShafaqNews/ The Lebanese Parliament failed to elect a new president during its firstvoting session on Thursday, further prolonging a leadership vacuum that haspersisted for over two years.
LebaneseParliament Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the session for two hours tofacilitate discussions, after no candidate obtained the two-thirds majorityrequired for the election.
Thevoting results from the first round showed Joseph Aoun, the Army Commander,emerging as the leading candidate with 71 votes, while 37 blank ballots werecast.
Additionally,18 invalid ballots bore phrases such as "Sovereignty and theConstitution" and "Sovereignty is not an opinion," alongsidenames like "Joseph Amos bin Farhan" and "Yazid bin Farhan."
UnderLebanese law, electing a president requires a two-thirds majority (86 votes) inthe first round. If no candidate achieves this threshold, subsequent roundsrequire a simple majority (65 votes).
Thesession, broadcast live, was initially seen as a potential step towardresolving Lebanon’s prolonged political deadlock. However, it quickly descendedinto heated arguments and verbal altercations among members of Parliament,underscoring the deep divisions in the country’s political landscape.
SomeMPs questioned the constitutional legitimacy of the electoral process andaccused “foreign powers” of meddling in Lebanon's presidential election.
GebranBassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement, was among those voicing concerns.He criticized what he described as “external guardianship” over the process,stating, “There is external oversight dictating the election of Lebanon’spresident.”
Thesession, held with a quorum, saw the presence of high-profile internationalrepresentatives, including French presidential envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian, Saudienvoy Yazid bin Mohammed Al-Farhan, and ambassadors from the Quint Committee,which oversees Lebanon’s presidential crisis.
Notably,Lebanon’s presidential elections are a cornerstone of its confessionalpolitical system, designed to balance power among the country’s religioussects. The president, always a Maronite Christian, is elected by the 128-memberParliament for a six-year, non-renewable term.
Thepresident serves as head of state, playing a symbolic unifying role whileoverseeing the appointment of the prime minister and approval of laws. Thisprocess is central to Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing framework establishedunder the 1943 National Pact.
However,Lebanon’s presidential elections are often marred by political deadlock andexternal interference. Rivalries between domestic factions, backed by competingregional powers like Iran and Saudi Arabia, frequently delay the process,leading to prolonged power vacuums.
Thesevacancies have paralyzed governance during critical times, as seen during thecurrent crisis following Michel Aoun’s departure in 2022. Amid economiccollapse and widespread discontent, the inability to elect a president reflectsthe entrenched divisions and challenges of Lebanon’s political landscape,leaving the nation in a precarious state.
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