For the ninth time, the Lebanese Parliament failed today to elect a new president, despite the damage caused by the political stalemate to the country's efforts to rescue its economy.
The parliament is split between supporters of Hezbollah, backed by Iran, and its opponents, but neither faction has a clear majority. Michel Moawad, an opponent of Hezbollah who is seen as friendly to the US, won the vote of 39 deputies, but did not secure a majority.
Only 105 of 128 deputies turned out to vote and as many more cancelled their ballots, listing derisive choices for president, one of which was Nelson Mandela. Parliament will reconvene on 15 December in a tenth attempt to elect a president.
It should be noted that, prior to the election of Michel Aoun in 2016, the presidency had been vacant for more than two years after 45 failed attempts by Parliament to agree to his nomination and election.
The protracted economic crisis plaguing Lebanon, considered by the World Bank to be one of the worst in modern history, cannot be addressed by the caretaker government, which lacks the authority to push through reforms that would allow billions of dollars in loans to rescue the economy.
Source: CNA
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