BEIRUT — The head of the Progressive Socialist Party Walid Joumblatt on Tuesday said from Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri's Ain al-Tineh residence that during a meeting the pair endeavored to "break political barriers" in order to elect a president.
In a press briefing following the meeting, Joumblatt said, "we are trying to break some political barriers to reach consensus that would give us hope to elect a president."
"We can't stay in this cycle that we go every week and vote blank or other options," Joumblatt said, adding, "maybe some have geopolitical calculations."
Since former President Michel Aoun left office on Oct. 31, Lebanon's Parliament has been meeting almost weekly to try to elect a president but thus far has not succeeded in the task, with the majority of votes cast usually blank.
Joumblatt went on to say, "I also discussed with Speaker Berri the education file, and we spoke about electricity which cannot work without reforms."
Public and private school teachers have announced strikes this week to protest deteriorating living conditions amid an ongoing economic crisis and the collapse of Lebanon's national currency. Teachers have also called on caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to hold a cabinet session to discuss the challenges facing the education sector. The education minister is Abbas Halabi, who is affiliated to Joumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party.
Lebanon for the first time in its history is experiencing a dual power vacuum at the level of both the executive and the presidency, with the latter vacant since Aoun's term ended and the former serving in a caretaker capacity since assuming this status following parliamentary elections in May.