Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty emphasised on Tuesday the need for a Lebanese consensus to end the country’s presidential vacuum, “without external impositions.”
Abdelatty’s statement came during a phone call with Jean-Yves Le Drian, the French President’s Special Envoy to Lebanon, according to a statement from the Egyptian Foreign Ministry. The conversation addressed “the developments in Lebanon and the presidential election file in light of the upcoming session of the Lebanese Parliament to elect a new president,” the ministry said.
Abdelatty stressed “the need to reach a Lebanese consensus with genuine national ownership (will) to end the presidential vacuum in Lebanon, without external dictates.” He also affirmed “the importance of working to empower Lebanese national institutions, noting that Egypt will continue to provide all forms of support to Lebanon during this critical period.”
The Lebanese Parliament is scheduled to convene on January 9 to elect a president. The country has been without a president since the end of former President Michel Aoun’s term in October 2022. Parliament has failed to elect a new president in 13 sessions over two years, the last of which was on June 14, 2023, due to a lack of consensus among political factions.
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri renewed his call on Tuesday for a general session of the council to be held on Thursday to elect a new president, according to the National News Agency.
This call comes amid the ongoing presidential vacancy crisis. Simultaneously, Lebanon faces multiple challenges and is implementing a ceasefire with Israel. The presidential vacuum follows the end of former President Michel Aoun’s term in October 2022.
Berri stated last November, after the ceasefire with Israel, that the war with Israel was “the most dangerous phase” Lebanon had experienced in its history. He also called on all sects to expedite the election of a president who “unites, not divides”.
The president is chosen through a vote in the Lebanese Parliament, which consists of 128 seats. No single political alliance holds enough seats to impose its choice. This means that an understanding must be reached between the competing blocs to elect a candidate.
The Lebanese constitution stipulates that a quorum of 86 members must be present to vote for the president. A candidate must secure 65 votes to win in the first round or an absolute majority in the second round.
Following the announcement of the ceasefire agreement with Israel in November, the Secretary-General of the Lebanese Hezbollah group, Naim Qassem, pledged to cooperate with the state, follow up on the reconstruction process, and contribute to the completion of constitutional institutions, most importantly “the election of a president.” He noted that the scheduled parliamentary session on January 9 would take place as planned.
Former head of the Lebanese Progressive Socialist Party, Walid Jumblatt, stated that “Army Commander General Joseph Aoun remains our candidate and the decision was made by the (bloc) of the Democratic Gathering and its president, and I was present,” according to the agency.
The Lebanese Forces party, a major Christian faction and opponent of Hezbollah, called last October for the election of a president, considering it the only way for the state to take responsibility for itself.
A session of the Lebanese Parliament is scheduled for January 9 to elect a president, following an Israeli aggression that resulted in 4,063 deaths and 16,664 injuries.
