Lebanese MPs in Parliament, in Beirut, on Dec. 15, 2022. (Credit: Ali Fawaz/Lebanese Parliament)
The presidential vacuum that Lebanon has been experiencing since November once again marked the political discourse on Sunday, with Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea saying that in order to exit the political crisis, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri should schedule an "open" 11th presidential election Parliament session, while a senior Hezbollah official once again called for dialogue as a way out of the crisis.
For the first time in its history, Lebanon is struggling with a double power vacuum at the executive level on top of an unprecedented economic crisis.
Ten parliamentary sessions have been convened to elect a president since the election period began in September, but none has yielded success.
Hezbollah and its allies the Free Patriotic Movement and Amal have been mostly voting blank during the sessions, while the Lebanese Forces, Kataeb and other independent MPs have voted for Zgharta MP Michel Moawad.
An 11th session has not yet been officially called by Berri after a hiatus for the holiday season, but multiple media outlets reported that the next parliamentary meeting is likely to take place next Thursday.
In a series of tweets, Geagea said that "instead of folkloric sessions in which the destiny, results and ending are known in advance, the parliament speaker, upon scheduling the 11th presidential election [parliamentary] session should tell all the parliamentary blocs in advance that he will not close the session."
Geagea also said that Berri should tell these blocs "that they are asked to remain in Parliament and have discussions between the consecutive parliamentary sessions, and that he will keep the sessions open not only between two rounds [of elections], but also for days … until a new president is elected."
"This is how serious calls for election sessions should be sent, and how it would be possible to elect a president in a few hours or days, not by calling for dialogue," Geagea added.
Such a call for dialogue was once again made by Nabil Kaouk, a member of Hezbollah's central council, on Sunday.
No election without an agreement
"There are two big teams in Lebanon: the one that wants dialogue and national understanding to elect a president, and the one that refutes them, insists on defiance and confrontation, and waits for external interventions," Kaouk said during a speech at an event in South Lebanon.
"No party can elect a president without an agreement," he stressed, noting "the inability of the team of confrontation and challenge to get 65 votes to elect a head of state."
"They want to cover up their failure, inability and differences by holding Hezbollah responsible" for the presidential crisis, he added.
In Lebanon, a presidential candidate needs a two-thirds majority to be elected in the first round of voting in Parliament (86 out of 128 MPs), while a simply majority of 65 votes is required in subsequent rounds.
A second round of voting has never taken place during the 10 electoral sessions held since last September, with MPs from the Hezbollah camp and its allies withdrawing from Parliament after the first round of voting, leading each time to a loss of quorum and the end of the session.
So far, Moawad has won the most votes, but not enough to win the election, even in a potential second round.
Kaouk ended his speech by assuring that "Hezbollah does not participate in malicious political battles."
