BEIRUT, Oct 14 (NNN-NNA) – The Lebanese parliament, yesterday, failed for the second time in a month, to elect a new head of state, as President Michel Aoun’s term is about to end in about two weeks.
House Speaker, Nabih Berri, announced the postponement of the election session to Oct 20, after parliament failed to secure a quorum for the election.
Only 71 out of 128 members of parliament (MPs) attended yesterday’s session, while 86 MPs, or about two-thirds of parliament, are needed to meet the quorum.
On Sept 29, the parliament failed to elect a successor to President Aoun, in a session attended by 122 lawmakers, as no candidate could obtain two-thirds of the MPs’ votes.
Lebanon suffers from a steep financial crisis, and the country is in dire need of a new president, capable of forcing the implementation of structural reforms, to pave the way for a deal with the International Monetary Fund.– NNN-NNA
