Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri in Ain al-Tineh with the ambassadors of the quintet, Dec. 11, 2024. (Credit: NNA)
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri met Wednesday at Ain al-Tineh with ambassadors from the quintet group — comprising the United States, France, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Egypt — who are involved in the Lebanese presidential file.
Earlier in the day, Berri reaffirmed that "Lebanon will have a president on Jan. 9," the date scheduled for a parliamentary session to elect a new head of state after more than two years of vacancy, marked by disagreements, particularly between Hezbollah's bloc and its rivals.
The speaker also held talks with the head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), MP Gebran Bassil, according to the National News Agency (NNA). This meeting is part of ongoing discussions among various parliamentary blocs aimed at reaching a broader consensus on the presidential election.
Lebanon has been without a president since Oct. 31, 2022, when Michel Aoun's term ended, due to the political class's failure to agree on a candidate amid a backdrop of crises, followed by clashes and war between Israel and Hezbollah. The last electoral session, the 12th since November 2022, was held on June 14, 2023. In that session, Sleiman Frangieh, the candidate supported by the Amal-Hezbollah alliance, garnered 51 votes out of 128, while his opponent, Jihad Azour, representing the opposition, secured 59 votes — or possibly 60, as one ballot was "lost."
