BEIRUT — Gebran Bassil, head of the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), met on Tuesday with French Ambassador to Lebanon Hervé Magro to discuss regional developments, with a particular focus on Syria, as well as the presidential elections in Lebanon, his press office reported.

Bassil reiterated the FPM's support for electing a consensus president during the parliamentary session scheduled for Jan. 9, 2025.

On Nov. 28, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced the session after having refrained from convening one for over a year. However, on Tuesday, Berri expressed his "astonishment" at comments from some opposition MPs, who voiced concerns about potential political traps being set during the January session.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, and the upcoming session comes amid political and regional turmoil.