Lebanese MPs for the ninth consecutive time failed to elect a new head of the republic. After the votes were counted, Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced that none of the presidential candidates was able to secure the support 65 of the 128 lawmakers needed to win.
He said opposition faction candidate Michel Moawad received 39 votes, while independent candidates Issam Khalifa and Badra Dagher were favored by five and three lawmakers, respectively, and another 39 lawmakers dropped blank ballots into the ballot boxes.
"I hope that we will be able to engage in dialogue before the New Year in order to overcome the stalemate that has arisen in the election of the president and resolve the differences," Berri said. - "After that, the date for the next vote will be announced."
The first round of elections was held in parliament on September 29, and then deputies met for eight more sessions, but no winner was identified.
The top state post has been vacant since October 31 after General Michel Aoun left the Baabda presidential palace at the end of his six-year term. According to Lebanon's constitution, a transitional government headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati is temporarily acting as head of the republic.
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Based on materials from TASS