Parliament's third attempt to elect a new president, and third failure: our live coverage

This concludes our live coverage of the Parliament's third unfruitful session to elect a new president.

After a round of voting in which no president was elected, the session ended due to a lack of quorum. Another session is scheduled for Oct. 24.

Thank you for following.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine)

"We have not yet mentioned the names of candidates," said Free Patriotic Movement MP George Atallah after the vote.

For the FPM, "the blank vote is a way to an agreement," Atallah said. "If we vote for someone, we do not want to go back."

He added that his parliamentary bloc made an appointment with the Forces of Change bloc, as part of a dialogue initiative launched last week by FPM leader Gebran Bassil. 

"We met with all [traditional] parties to try and agree on a candidate and avoid a presidential vacancy, and all people know that a candidate must obtain 86 votes to be elected as a president, so I urge those who are trying to mislead the public opinion to stop doing so," MP Ibrahim Mneimneh said, without specifying names.

"The Forces of Change MPs present at the session voted for 'The New Lebanon,' with the exception of Michel Douaihy" who recently quit the group of 13 elected officials, MP Paula Yacoubian said.

Yacoubian noted that Elias Jaradeh and Cynthia Zarazir were also absent.

"We are not in disagreement," she insisted. "Heading towards the vacancy is the most dangerous scenario." 

"Because we did not agree on a name, and as an expression of my rejection of the reality in the country, I voted with a ballot that was disqualified," said MP Osama Saad (Saida).

"It turned out that 56 MPs do not agree among themselves and cannot agree on a single candidate," said Lebanese Forces MP Georges Adwan (Chouf). "They do not even have the courage to go to a second round."

"It is the 22 MPs who are blocking the change. I call on them to make a choice before Monday," he added in reference to MPs who voted either blank, null or in favor of candidate Milad Abou Malhab.

"Today, Michel Moawad managed to convince new deputies to join the electoral reform battle," said Adwan. He finally called on other opposition MPs to agree on a single name. 

To learn more about Michel Moawad, who received 42 votes during today's session, read his profile here: Michel Moawad, champion of the ‘sovereignist camp’

Zgharta MP Michel Moawad, who received 42 votes in today's session, said "it is clear that one side came to elect a president while another attends the sessions so as not to betray their desire to block the sessions."

"It turned out I am the only serious candidate. I don't expect any compromise," Moawad added, adding that his candidacy "Lebanizes" the election, though his critics point to his proximity to the United States.

Moawad received 36 votes during the first round of voting on Sept. 29. "We have made great progress in terms of votes obtained," he said, stressing the need to "unify the ranks of the opposition to achieve change."

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine)

After the session, MP Marwan Hamadeh said the fact that Michel Moawad received 42 votes "will prevent the election of an anti-sovereign candidate."

MP Ali Fayad (Hezbollah) said that "agreeing on a president does not mean unanimity, but securing a majority with a quorum."

"Michel Moawad has received the majority of the votes until now, which proves that he is a consensus man. This doesn't mean we should agree with him on everything, but we agree on the necessary reforms that Lebanon needs," said Beirut MP Fouad Makhzoumi.

"Agreeing with Hezbollah on a candidate means agreeing on the presence of their weapons, and having two states within the state. However, opposing that doesn't mean we want a civil war," Makhzoumi added. "What we want is a strong state capable of protecting itself." 

"We are still working to unify the ranks of the opposition around a single name," said Kataeb leader Samy Gemayel after the vote. He added his hope that "ideas will come together before the end of the month." President Aoun's term ends Oct. 31.

Kataeb MP Elias Hankach stressed the need for Parliament to convene "daily" until a new president is elected. "The party that paralyzed the country for two and a half years is blocking the sessions today," he said.

"To be very honest, I don't see a president of the republic elected anytime soon," MP Michel Daher said. 

MP Hadi Abou al-Hosn (Druze, Progressive Socialist Party) said he "felt that there is a group that wants to abort the chances of electing a president," in an apparent dig at MPs who withdrew from the session, including those from the Free Patriotic Movement.

"We call the other party to a real dialogue," Hosn pleaded. He called on the opposition to "choose a single candidate."

The next parliamentary session to elect a new president will be held on Monday, Oct. 24 at 11 a.m., Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced before adjourning the session 

During the first round of voting:

55 blank votes were cast.

42 votes were cast for Michel Mouawad, 17 for "New Lebanon," one for Milad Abou Malhab — an official candidate — and four ballots were disqualified from the vote.

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine)

According to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, 119 MPs voted during this round. 

In this round of voting, a candidate must obtain a two-thirds majority, or 86 votes, to be elected president.

This is the same as the first round of voting, contrary to the Constitution. According to the Constitution, a 2/3 majority is needed for the first round of voting while only a simple majority is required in all subsequent rounds. Parliament held a first round of voting on Sept. 29, but with no conclusive results.

If another round is held today, only a simple majority, or 65 votes, will be needed to elect a candidate.  

(Credit: Mohammad Yassine)

A first round of voting is launched. 

According to the state-run National News Agency, at least 110 of 128 MPs are in attendance at the session. Only MP Cynthia Zarazir (Beirut I) has been officially excused.

The Constitution does not explicitly state that the presidency is reserved for a specific religious group. It was on the basis of the National Pact — an agreement established between different powers in the country at the time of independence in 1943 — that the three government leaders were shared between the main religious communities in Lebanon: the Lebanese presidency to a Maronite Christian, the prime ministership to a Sunni Muslim and the Parliament speakership to a Shiite Muslim.

The international community has been pressing Lebanon for several months to elect a new head of state, as well as numerous reforms required by the International Monetary Fund to unlock an aid package to help lift Lebanon out of its financial crisis.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri began the parliamentary session for the election of Lebanon's next president, at 11 a.m.

Read through Yara Abi Akl and Salah Hijazi's wrap-up on Parliament's last session: Three birds with one stone: Why Hezbollah blocked this week’s presidential vote.

Make sure to also read the following profile of the Lebanese Armed Forces chief, by Jeanine Jalkh: Can Joseph Aoun walk the line?

Thursday's session was called despite the lack of consensus among political forces. The last scheduled session was unsuccessful to a lack of quorum, while the first session had no conclusive results on a new head of state.

Lebanon's presidential election period began Sept. 1, but the Speaker of Parliament waited until Sept. 29 to convene the first electoral session.

Follow our live coverage of the parliamentary session, starting at 11 a.m.