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Lebanon’s Speaker Sets Jan. 9 Date to Elect President
Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri set a Jan. 9 date for lawmakers to elect the country’s president, the state news agency (NNA) reported on Thursday.
Lebanon has not had a president or a fully empowered cabinet since October 2022 due to a power struggle.
Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon had prompted a renewed bid by some leading Lebanese politicians to fill the two-year-long presidential vacuum.
A ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah took effect on Wednesday under a deal brokered by the US and France, allowing people in both countries to start returning to homes in border areas shattered by 14 months of fighting.
Berri has said that, once there’s a ceasefire, he supported the election of a president who doesn’t represent “a challenge” to anyone.
The presidency is decided by a vote in Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament. No single political alliance has enough seats to impose its choice, meaning an understanding among rival blocs is needed to secure the election of a candidate.
