Shafaq News / Opposition political forces in Lebanon announced the nomination of former Finance Minister Jihad Azour for the presidency.

This nomination follows discussions and negotiations between the opposition and the Free Patriotic Movement, which resulted in their support for Azour. The leader of the movement, Gebran Bassil, declared yesterday, Saturday, the alignment of his party's interests with those of the opposition in endorsing Azour.

Earlier today, presidential candidate Michel Mawad announced the withdrawal of his candidacy, stating that he supports the former minister Jihad Azour for the presidential elections.

All eyes are now turned to the General Assembly of Parliament in the coming hours or days, as to whether the Speaker of Parliament, Nabih Berri, will schedule a session for the election of a new president.

Berri has refrained from calling for a parliamentary session for nearly four months, following 11 unsuccessful parliamentary sessions in electing a successor to President Michel Aoun. The presidential vacuum has persisted for seven months.

Lebanon is facing numerous political crises, the latest being the vacancy of the presidential office since the end of President Michel Aoun's term, with the parliament's failure to elect a replacement in eleven attempts. This has had a significant impact on several economic crises that the Lebanese people are currently enduring in their daily lives.

The political crisis has coincided with a severe economic crisis that has burdened the Lebanese population, with 80% of them living below the poverty line. The prices of food items have increased by 1200%, and the local currency has lost more than 95% of its value against the dollar.