Lebanese Parliament Fails to Elect President in its 12th Session

Shafaq News/ The Lebanese Parliament, in its 12th Session, has once again failed to elect a president, prolonging the presidential vacuum that has persisted for eight months.

During Wednesday's Session, former finance minister Jihad Azour received 59 votes, Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Frangieh received 51 votes, there was 1 white paper, former interior minister Ziad Baroud received 7 votes, and there were 1 void paper, 1 vote for Army Commander Joseph Aoun, and eight votes under the name "New Lebanon."

However, after the vote counting process, the quorum for the Session was lost after lawmakers from Hezbollah and allied party Amal walked out, preventing the Parliament from proceeding with a second session to elect a president.

As per Lebanese law, in the first Session, a candidate requires 86 votes to secure the presidency; in the second Session, they need 65 votes, a majority of half plus one.