After a hiatus of more than a month for Christmas and New Year’s Eve celebrations, the 128 MPs will return to the plenary session to nominate a consensual candidate from the Maronite Christian community, capable of leading the nation’s first power.
The eleventh convening of the legislature will take place amid insistence from parliamentary blocs, politicians, movements and religious leaders not to waste any more time and resort to dialogue to end the power vacuum.
According to local analysts, this Thursday’s session will repeat the script of previous ones, when blank ballots dominated and no representative secured majority support in a voting process that began on September 29.
In the hours leading up to the meeting, it emerged that the position of the Free Patriotic Current, one of the country’s main Christian forces, had not changed to prevent the appointment of Suleiman Franjieh, leader of the Marada movement.
Another name present in political circles with a view to the presidency is MP Michel Moawad, who is backed by the Lebanese Armed Forces, the Progressive Party and the Kataeb.
The lack of seriousness of the election process abroad also prevents internal understanding and the vacancy remains in view of the intensification of the economic and financial crisis.
Since the night of October 31, Lebanon has been experiencing its fourth post-independence power vacuum, following the end of Michel Aoun’s mandate, with no political dialogue and under an interim government with limited constitutional powers.
jha/yma