The Lebanese Parliament failed to elect a new president for the 11th time on Thursday, prolonging a government vacuum that comes amid one of the worst economic crises of modern times.
MP Michel Moawad received the most votes with 34, but — as has happened many times in recent sessions — was beaten by 37 blank votes.
Another 14 were for “New Lebanon”, while 15 were declared invalid, including one for US Senator Bernie Sanders. There were a handful of valid votes for other names.
A two -thirds majority is required in the first round to win the race to be president in the 128-seat parliament. Subsequent rounds in the same session need only an absolute majority — or 65 votes. On Thursday, 111 MPs were present.
Mr Moawad has consistently been able to garner the support of a core bloc of MPs including those from Lebanon’s biggest party, the Lebanese Forces.
But he is nowhere near the vote threshold needed. His father, Rene, served as head of state for 17 days before his assassination in 1989.
Two "Change MPs", the movement closely linked to the 2019 nationwide protests that led to the collapse of the-then government, announced they would stay in parliament until a president was elected.
One of them, lawyer Melhem Khalaf, called for successive sessions "without interruption" until a president was elected.
He said Lebanon did not "have the time nor the luxury to wait for the maturation of any settlement".
Mr Khalaf described the "display of repeating the sessions" without any result as "absurd and reprehensible".
In Lebanon’s confessional power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister for a Sunni Muslim and the Speaker of Parliament for a Shiite Muslim.
Former army general Michel Aoun stepped down as president at the end of October, while Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s government is in caretaker status and thus severely stripped of power.
Mr Aoun and Mr Mikati were at loggerheads for months over the make-up of Lebanon's cabinet and failed to reach an agreement before the former's term ended.
The power vacuum is increasing fears of further political paralysis and that reforms needed to secure a bailout from the International Monetary Fund will not be implemented.
Lebanon's economic collapse has been described by the World Bank as one of the worst in modern history, with much of the population pushed into poverty.
The financial crisis is being blamed on decades of mismanagement and corruption by Lebanon’s elite.
The local currency has lost more than 95 per cent of its value, inflation is rampant and there are widespread shortages of electricity, clean water, medicine and other basic essentials.
Zayed Sustainability Prize
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Milestones on the road to union
1970
October 26: Bahrain withdraws from a proposal to create a federation of nine with the seven Trucial States and Qatar.
December: Ahmed Al Suwaidi visits New York to discuss potential UN membership.
1971
March 1: Alex Douglas Hume, Conservative foreign secretary confirms that Britain will leave the Gulf and “strongly supports” the creation of a Union of Arab Emirates.
July 12: Historic meeting at which Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid make a binding agreement to create what will become the UAE.
July 18: It is announced that the UAE will be formed from six emirates, with a proposed constitution signed. RAK is not yet part of the agreement.
August 6: The fifth anniversary of Sheikh Zayed becoming Ruler of Abu Dhabi, with official celebrations deferred until later in the year.
August 15: Bahrain becomes independent.
September 3: Qatar becomes independent.
November 23-25: Meeting with Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Rashid and senior British officials to fix December 2 as date of creation of the UAE.
November 29: At 5.30pm Iranian forces seize the Greater and Lesser Tunbs by force.
November 30: Despite a power sharing agreement, Tehran takes full control of Abu Musa.
November 31: UK officials visit all six participating Emirates to formally end the Trucial States treaties
December 2: 11am, Dubai. New Supreme Council formally elects Sheikh Zayed as President. Treaty of Friendship signed with the UK. 11.30am. Flag raising ceremony at Union House and Al Manhal Palace in Abu Dhabi witnessed by Sheikh Khalifa, then Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi.
December 6: Arab League formally admits the UAE. The first British Ambassador presents his credentials to Sheikh Zayed.
December 9: UAE joins the United Nations.
The Facility’s Versatility
Between the start of the 2020 IPL on September 20, and the end of the Pakistan Super League this coming Thursday, the Zayed Cricket Stadium has had an unprecedented amount of traffic.
Never before has a ground in this country – or perhaps anywhere in the world – had such a volume of major-match cricket.
And yet scoring has remained high, and Abu Dhabi has seen some classic encounters in every format of the game.
October 18, IPL, Kolkata Knight Riders tied with Sunrisers Hyderabad
The two playoff-chasing sides put on 163 apiece, before Kolkata went on to win the Super Over
January 8, ODI, UAE beat Ireland by six wickets
A century by CP Rizwan underpinned one of UAE’s greatest ever wins, as they chased 270 to win with an over to spare
February 6, T10, Northern Warriors beat Delhi Bulls by eight wickets
The final of the T10 was chiefly memorable for a ferocious over of fast bowling from Fidel Edwards to Nicholas Pooran
March 14, Test, Afghanistan beat Zimbabwe by six wickets
Eleven wickets for Rashid Khan, 1,305 runs scored in five days, and a last session finish
June 17, PSL, Islamabad United beat Peshawar Zalmi by 15 runs
Usman Khawaja scored a hundred as Islamabad posted the highest score ever by a Pakistan team in T20 cricket
The Year Earth Changed
Directed by:Tom Beard
Narrated by: Sir David Attenborough
Stars: 4
