After 12 failed attempts over 2 years, Lebanon’s parliament will try to pick a president ( Picture credit: AP )“decoding =”async “fetchpriority = “high”>,
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After 12 failed attempts over 2 years, Lebanon’s parliament will try to pick a president ( Picture credit: AP )
Tripoli: Lebanon’s parliament was set Thursday to create yet another efforts to elect a senator, filling a pump that’s lasted for more than two decades.
There are signs that Thursday’s voting could lead to the election of a head of state, despite 12 previous attempt to pick a replacement for Michel Aoun, whose name ended in October 2022.
Joseph Aoun, a former leader of the Lebanon’s military and not connected to the former president, is the front-runner. He is commonly regarded as the chosen candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose aid Lebanon will require as it rebuilds following a 14-month discord between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hezbollah.
Suleiman Frangieh, the head of a small Christian group in northeastern Lebanon with close ties to previous Syrian President Bashar Assad, was formerly supported by Hezbollah.
But, on Wednesday, Frangieh announced he had withdrawn from the competition and endorsed Aoun, obviously clearing the way for the military commander.
Lebanon’s turbulent religious power-sharing system is susceptible to deadlock, both for social and administrative reasons. The smaller, crisis-battered Mediterranean region has been through some lengthy political openings, with the longest lasting roughly 2 1/2 times between May 2014 and October 2016. When Michel Aoun was elected, it came to an end.
As a sitting army chief, Joseph Aoun is essentially barred from becoming chairman by Lebanon’s law. Although the ban has already been lifted, it means Aoun will have to overcome more administrative obstacles.
In most cases, a political candidate in Lebanon can be chosen by a simple majority in the first round of voting or by a two-thirds lot in the following round.
Aoun do need a two-thirds bulk even in the next round due to the legal issues surrounding his election.
Jihad Azour, a former finance minister who is currently in charge of the Middle East and Central Asia division at the International Monetary Fund, and Elias al-Baysari, the speaking head of Lebanon’s General Security company, are other contenders.
A continuous prime minister and cabinet must be appointed by the president. Because it was not a relaxing leader, the caretaker government that has been in power for the past two years now has more authority.
In addition to obtaining funding for restoration, the next government does face significant challenges.
Lebanon is six times into an economic and financial problems that has decimated the money and destroyed many Palestinian citizens ‘ discounts. Only a few days of electricity are provided by the state electricity company, which is cash-strapped.
The leaders of the nation reached a tentative bailout deal with the IMF in 2022, but they have made scant progress on the reforms necessary to seal the deal.
