Lebanon’s 128 lawmakers must elect a new head of state under the country’s parliamentarian system [Anwar Amro/AFP/Getty]
Lebanese lawmakers have failed to elect a president in the first round of an open session on Monday, which was expected to see military commander General Joseph Aoun picked to be head of state after a more than a two-year vacuum.
Just 71 out of 128 lawmakers voted in favour of Aoun, short of the required 86, before Speaker Nabih Berri suspended the session until 2:00 pm (1200 GMT), sparking outrage from some lawmakers who demanded an immediate second vote.
Thirty-seven members of parliament voted blank, while 20 ballots were declared null and void.
The legislative session comes with 17 days remaining in a ceasefire that called for the deployment of Lebanese troops alongside UN peacekeepers as Israeli forces withdraw from the country’s south.
It also came after more than a year since the last session to elect a president was held.
Under Lebanon’s parliamentarian and sectarian-based power-sharing system, the country’s 128 lawmakers must in turn elect a president, by convention a Maronite Christian who serves a six-year term.
Monday’s session is expected to remain open until a candidate gains enough votes.
Aoun is the frontrunner and has garnered wide support in recent days.
Diplomats were present at the session overseeing the vote. Some have defended this as a goodwill gesture from Lebanon to invite the ambassadors of friendly countries that have helped break the political impasse, while others have said it marked a blatant and brazen violation of the country’s sovereignty.
After counting the votes, Berri called for the second round to be held in two hours. Some MPs argued that this was unconstitutional, as the session should continue without breaks.
Berri, 86, who has served as speaker for more than three decades, said he would step outside for a couple of hours to make some consultations.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati told the Saudi-owned Al Arabiya news channel that he had expected Aoun to win the second round with a majority of votes.
Lebanese Forces MP George Adwan told local media that he hoped the “Shiaa-duo” – a name given to the Hezbollah-Amal alliance – would officially endorse Aoun and vote for him in the next round.
