Speaker of the House Nabih Berri during the 11th session devoted to electing a new president, on Jan. 19. (Credit: Hassan Ibrahim/Lebanese Parliament)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has broken his silence and officially launched, on behalf of both the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, a campaign to elect Sleiman Frangieh as head of state.For the first time since the timeline to elect a president began on Sept. 29, Berri has explicitly opposed the presidential candidacy of army chief Joseph Aoun.In an interview on Thursday with the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, which is seen to be pro-Hezbollah, Berri stated, “Given the current circumstances, it is impossible to amend the constitution to elect the army chief [as president], especially since the government is in caretaker mode.”Lebanon’s cabinet has been without full powers since the legislative elections in May 2022. The country has also had no president since former head of state Michel Aoun’s six-year term ended Oct. 31.General Aoun’s name has...
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has broken his silence and officially launched, on behalf of both the Amal Movement and Hezbollah, a campaign to elect Sleiman Frangieh as head of state.For the first time since the timeline to elect a president began on Sept. 29, Berri has explicitly opposed the presidential candidacy of army chief Joseph Aoun.In an interview on Thursday with the Lebanese daily Al Akhbar, which is seen to be pro-Hezbollah, Berri stated, “Given the current circumstances, it is impossible to amend the constitution to elect the army chief [as president], especially since the government is in caretaker mode.”Lebanon’s cabinet has been without full powers since the legislative elections in May 2022. The country has also had no president since former head of state Michel Aoun’s six-year term ended Oct. 31.General...
