The Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, votes in the second round of the presidential election in Parliament on Jan. 9, 2025. (Credit: Mohammad Yassine/L'Orient-Le Jour)
"Here come the real voters." "All the better for us, otherwise we would never have had a president ... at least not a real one." Two members of the parliamentary guard chatted on Thursday morning in the central hall, moments before this 14th electoral session began, when diplomats finally started to appear. First, the influential Saudi ambassador, Walid Boukhari, followed by his American, then Egyptian counterparts, and finally the French ambassador, accompanied by the presidential envoy himself, Jean-Yves Le Drian. It was under their influence that Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled this session to elect a president after 28 months of vacancy. It was also following their diplomatic pressure that most parliamentary blocs announced their support for Joseph Aoun, making him the sole serious candidate. The MPs from all sides,...
"Here come the real voters." "All the better for us, otherwise we would never have had a president ... at least not a real one." Two members of the parliamentary guard chatted on Thursday morning in the central hall, moments before this 14th electoral session began, when diplomats finally started to appear. First, the influential Saudi ambassador, Walid Boukhari, followed by his American, then Egyptian counterparts, and finally the French ambassador, accompanied by the presidential envoy himself, Jean-Yves Le Drian. It was under their influence that Speaker Nabih Berri scheduled this session to elect a president after 28 months of vacancy. It was also following their diplomatic pressure that most parliamentary blocs announced their support for Joseph Aoun, making him the sole serious candidate. The MPs from all...