Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, November 3, 2023. (Credit: Stock photo from the Lebanese Parliament Flickr account)
BEIRUT — Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri on Wednesday expressed his fear of a "prolongation of the presidential vacancy," warning of "catastrophic repercussions" to Lebanon as it grabbles with its first executive double vacancy and a crippling economic crisis.
During a meeting in Ain al-Tineh, the Parliament speaker said he hoped MPs will be able to "elect a president soon," which "will pave the way to rescue," according to a statement published by the state-run National News Agency (NNA)
"Everyone must realize that we do not have the luxury of wasting time in view of the deterioration of the financial, economic and social situation, especially after the exchange rate of the [lira] exceeded LL100,000 to the dollar," Berri stressed.
"I do not hide my fear that the presidential vacancy is prolonged and that the blockage of the work of institutions will have catastrophic repercussions from which no one will escape, even the authors of the blockage," he continued.
Lebanon's Parliament has convened 11 presidential electoral sessions since last September, all of which have failed due to a lack of political agreement. In each session, MPs from Hezbollah and the Amal Movement exited the voting chamber after the first round of voting, forcing a loss of a quorum.
The last session was held Jan. 12, and Berri has not scheduled the next one.
Last week, Hezbollah and Amal Movement leaders announced their official endorsement of Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh, who is known to be close to the Syrian regime but does not enjoy the support from the main Lebanese Christian groups, namely the Lebanese Forces (LF) and the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM).
Opposition groups, some of which are close to Saudi Arabia, support the candidacy of Zgharta MP Michel Moawad, but some say they are open to compromise.
Addressing the Iranian-Saudi normalization agreement reached last Friday, Berri had said the agreement will have "positive repercussions on the whole region."
In the agreement broked brokered by the Chinese, Tehran and Riyadh announced their intention to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their respective embassies within the next two months.
Relations between the two regional heavyweights were severed in 2016 after protesters in Iran attacked Saudi diplomatic missions following the execution of a Shiite cleric in Saudi Arabia. According to some observers, this rapprochement could significantly influence the outcome of the presidential election in Lebanon.