Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called a legislative session on June 14 to hold a new vote to elect a new president, Lebanese media reported on Monday
BEIRUT (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 05th June, 2023) Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called a legislative session on June 14 to hold a new vote to elect a new president, Lebanese media reported on Monday.
The move comes after the Lebanese opposition agreed on a single presidential candidate � former Finance Minister Jihad Azour, who is currently the head of the International Monetary Fund's middle East and Central Asia Department, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed newspaper reported.
Azour will compete with the lead candidate, pro-Syrian politician and former Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh, who is supported by Lebanese Shiite movements Amal and Hezbollah, backed by Iran.
Lebanon's parliament has held 11 failed votes to elect a new president since ex-President Michel Aoun stepped down in October 2022. The president's duties were entrusted to a transitional cabinet headed by Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Lebanon has been plunged into a deep financial and economic crisis, accompanied by political and social tensions, since 2019. Amid the crisis, the banking system was almost completely paralyzed, the national Currency depreciated more than 20 times against the Dollar. As a result, more than 70% of the population is living below the poverty line.
