Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri opens the session to elect a president at the parliament building in downtown Beirut, Lebanon, Sept 29, 2022. (BILAL HUSSEIN / AP)
BEIRUT – The Lebanese parliament on Thursday failed again to elect a new president, bringing the country closer to institutional deadlock as President Michel Aoun's term ends on Oct 31.
House Speaker Nabih Berri announced that the voting session, attended by 119 deputies out of 128, resulted in 42 votes for Michel Mouawad, 55 blank votes, and some scattered votes with political slogans, Lebanese National News Agency reported.
Lebanon has witnessed several periods of presidential vacuum as a result of divisions among political blocs governing the country
This is the third time that the Lebanese parliament failed to elect a president. The last two elections were held on Sept 29 and Oct 13.
Lebanon has witnessed several periods of presidential vacuum as a result of divisions among political blocs governing the country, raising concerns about the likelihood of the post being left vacant again as the country grapples with a steep financial crisis.
Berri called for the next parliamentary session to be held on Oct 24 for another presidential election.
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