24 Nov 2022; MEMO: Lebanese lawmakers, on Thursday, failed for a seventh time to elect a new president as the country grapples with a deepening political and economic crisis, Anadolu News Agency reports.
The voting session was attended by 110 lawmakers of the 128-member Parliament.
Michel Moawad, a candidate backed by the Lebanese Forces party, got 42 votes, well short of the figure needed to win the first round, while 50 lawmakers cast blank ballots.
READ: What happens now that Lebanon is without a president?
Speaker, Nabih Berri, set the next voting session for a week from now, on 1 December.
A candidate needs two-thirds of the vote (86 lawmakers) in the 128-member Parliament to get through the first stage, while an absolute majority is needed in subsequent rounds.
Former President, Michel Aoun, left office on 31 October after completing a six-year term, without lawmakers agreeing on a successor.
Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.
The country has been without a fully functioning government since May, with Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, and his Cabinet having limited powers in their current caretaker status.
