The Lebanese Parliament on Thursday failed for a sixth time to elect the country’s next president as government vacuum rumbles on.
Blank votes again received the highest count, with 46, while independent MP Michel Moawad received 43. Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, set the seventh presidential session for next Thursday.
Two thirds of the vote in the 128-seat parliament is needed for a candidate to win in the first round, with an absolute majority required in subsequent rounds.
It was the second parliamentary session since the term of former president Michel Aoun ended in late October. It took 46 sessions, two and a half years and a series of political deals behind closed doors for Mr Aoun to be elected in 2016.
With a consensus candidate yet to emerge, the continuing deadlock on Thursday was expected. In Lebanon's confessional political system, the head of state is reserved for a Maronite Christian.
Mr Moawad, whose father Rene served as president for 18 days in 1989 before being assassinated, has consistently been backed by a largely anti-Hezbollah bloc, which includes the Lebanese Forces — the parliament’s largest party.
But he is seen as too divisive to attract the necessary majority needed to become president.
Many of Lebanon's largest parties, including Iran-backed Hezbollah, Mr Berri's Amal Movement and the Free Patriotic Movement, which Mr Aoun founded, have yet to announce who they are backing.
Thursday's session featured the first vote cast for Suleiman Frangieh, who is regarded as one of the main presidential contenders and is close to Hezbollah.
Mr Aoun's son-in-law Gebran Bassil, who now heads the FPM, is also close to Hezbollah and is believed to have presidential ambitions although to date he has not declared his candidacy.
Lebanon is currently entrenched in a governing vacuum. In the event that there is no head of state, the government takes on presidential powers. But Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s cabinet has been in caretaker status for months since the parliamentary elections in May and as a result, has extremely limited powers.
Mr Mikati this week referred to his “historical relationship" with Mr Frangieh and said a president must be elected soon.
Hezbollah is a powerful armed group and political party, backed by Iran, and holds significant sway in Lebanon. Hassan Nasrallah, its secretary general, last week called for "a president who will not stab the [Hezbollah] in the back and will not conspire against it and will not sell it".
8 UAE companies helping families reduce their carbon footprint
Greenheart Organic Farms
This Dubai company was one of the country’s first organic farms, set up in 2012, and it now delivers a wide array of fruits and vegetables grown regionally or in the UAE, as well as other grocery items, to both Dubai and Abu Dhabi doorsteps.
www.greenheartuae.com
Modibodi
Founded in Australia, Modibodi is now in the UAE with waste-free, reusable underwear that eliminates the litter created by a woman’s monthly cycle, which adds up to approximately 136kgs of sanitary waste over a lifetime.
www.modibodi.ae
The Good Karma Co
From brushes made of plant fibres to eco-friendly storage solutions, this company has planet-friendly alternatives to almost everything we need, including tin foil and toothbrushes.
www.instagram.com/thegoodkarmaco
Re:told
One Dubai boutique, Re:told, is taking second-hand garments and selling them on at a fraction of the price, helping to cut back on the hundreds of thousands of tonnes of clothes thrown into landfills each year.
www.shopretold.com
Lush
Lush provides products such as shampoo and conditioner as package-free bars with reusable tins to store.
www.mena.lush.com
Bubble Bro
Offering filtered, still and sparkling water on tap, Bubble Bro is attempting to ensure we don’t produce plastic or glass waste. Founded in 2017 by Adel Abu-Aysha, the company is on track to exceeding its target of saving one million bottles by the end of the year.
www.bubble-bro.com
Coethical
This company offers refillable, eco-friendly home cleaning and hygiene products that are all biodegradable, free of chemicals and certifiably not tested on animals.
www.instagram.com/coethical
Eggs & Soldiers
This bricks-and-mortar shop and e-store, founded by a Dubai mum-of-four, is the place to go for all manner of family products – from reusable cloth diapers to organic skincare and sustainable toys.
www.eggsnsoldiers.com
Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
