On Thursday, the Lebanese parliament failed to elect a president for the eighth time, despite the post having been vacant for a month, due to deep political divisions in the midst of an accelerating economic collapse that the authorities are unable to contain.
52 MPs voted with a clean sheet, while MP Michel Moawad received 37 votes.
The system of mutual settlements and quotas between political and sectarian forces usually delays the adoption of important decisions, including the formation of a government or the election of a president.
The Speaker of Parliament set the date for the new session next Thursday.
On the first ballot, a candidate needs a two-thirds majority, or 86 votes, to win. The required majority, if there is a second session, is 65 votes out of 128, which is the number of members of Parliament.
As every week, the first session was held in the presence of a two-thirds majority before MPs walked out to overthrow the quorum for the second session.
No political party has a parliamentary majority to impose its candidate.
