Nabih Berri (left) with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis (right) in Beirut on Dec. 16, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
"There is a desire to elect the president during Thursday's meeting or in the following days," stated Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri as quoted on Wednesday by the daily newspaper an-Nahar. Parliament is set to convene on Thursday to elect a president, more than two years after Michel Aoun's term ended on Oct. 31, 2022.
"The electoral sessions will not be interrupted, except for Friday prayers or Sunday mass," Berri added. He is expected to meet Jean-Yves Le Drian before the French envoy holds talks with party leaders and parliamentary blocs.
In a speech at the Grand Serail during an event on Lebanon's waste management strategy, outgoing Prime Minister Najib Mikati stated he is "happy because we will have a president tomorrow."
Any candidate must receive a two-thirds majority — at least 86 out of 128 deputies — to be elected in the first voting round. A simple majority of 65 votes is required for subsequent rounds.
In a speech at the Serail during an event on Lebanon's waste management strategy, caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati declared that he was “happy for the first time since the presidential vacancy began, because God willing, tomorrow we will have a new head of state.”
