Lebanese Parliament Fails to Elect President for Twelfth Consecutive Time

The Lebanese parliament has failed to elect a new president for the twelfth consecutive time, despite completing the constitutional quorum. This political impasse is due to the growing split between Hezbollah and its opponents, which threatens to extend the presidential vacancy after former President Michel Aoun’s term expired at the end of October last year.

Consensus on Jihad Azur’s Candidacy

Although parliament has failed to elect a president in previous sessions, the consensus of significant political blocs in support of former minister Jihad Azur’s candidacy has prompted parliamentary speaker Nabih Berri to set a date for new elections. Azur, who served as Lebanon’s finance minister between 2005 and 2008, has surged in recent weeks after intense contacts ended with major blocs and MPs opposing Hezbollah, declaring their support for Azur’s nominations. Representative Michel Moawad also withdrew his candidacy in favor of Azur.

Support for Azur’s Candidacy

Supporting his candidacy, Azur temporarily resigned as director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund and said in his first comment that he wanted his candidacy to be “a contribution to a solution, not an element added to the elements of the crisis.” He stressed that he was “not challenging anyone” in response to Hezbollah, which described a number of Azur’s representatives as a “confrontational” and “challenging” candidate.

Hezbollah’s Support for Frangieh

Hezbollah announced that its bloc would vote for former minister Suleiman Franjieh, who is supported by Berry’s Amal movement and other smaller blocs. The head of the Hezbollah bloc, MP Muhammad Raad, said that those who support Azur’s candidacy “do not want to deliver him to the presidency of the republic, but use him only to prevent the resistance candidate from arriving,” referring to Franjieh.

Franjieh’s Candidacy

Frangieh confirmed in his Sunday speech that he will be the “president of all Lebanese,” despite his alliance with Hezbollah and friendship with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. He has been heavily criticized by opponents of his candidacy, who describe him as a “defiance candidate” against Hezbollah. “I remind them (that) in 2016 they supported the opposition candidate, President Michel Aoun,” he said in his speech.

Implications for the Election

It is likely that Azur will receive the most votes in the first round, provided that Hezbollah and its allies overthrow the quorum required for a second round. In the first ballot, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority, that is, 86 votes, to win, and the required majority becomes, if there is a second round, 65 votes out of 128, which is the number of members of Parliament. However, a quorum requires two-thirds in two sessions.