Lebanese parliament fails to elect new president in first session

BEIRUT -- The Lebanese parliament failed on Thursday to elect a new president for the country in its first session, the official National News Agency (NNA) reported.

Lebanese TV channel Al-Jadeed reported that Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun, the presidential frontrunner, obtained 71 votes in the first session attended by 128 members of parliament, whereas 37 blank ballots and 20 spoiled ballots were cast.

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri subsequently adjourned the session for two hours to allow further discussions, the NNA reported.

In a separate report, the NNA said Lebanese Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati is still "upbeat about the election of a president today."

The electoral session kicked off Thursday morning amid tight security measures around the parliament building in downtown Beirut. French President's Special Envoy to Lebanon Jean-Yves Le Drian and foreign ambassadors in Lebanon also attended the session, Al-Jadeed reported.

If a presidential candidate fails to win a two-thirds majority, or 86 votes, in the first session, the parliament must hold a second round, where a simple majority, or 65 votes, will be sufficient to win.

Political division in Lebanon resulted in a vacant presidential position with the end of former President Michel Aoun's term on Oct. 31, 2022. The parliament had failed to elect a president for the country in 12 electoral sessions. A caretaker government has been running the country amid the presidential vacuum.

Joseph Aoun, who is not related to Michel Aoun, is widely considered the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose support will be crucial for Lebanon's reconstruction following a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, according to analysts.