Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri is expected to call for a session to elect a new president on September 29, an official source told Reuters, despite no political consensus on a candidate.
The session will be held just over a month before current President Michel Aoun’s term is set to end on October 31.
By convention, the president of Lebanon is a Christian Maronite, and the main responsibility is to serve as a symbol of the nation’s unity.
In parliament, a president is elected by way of a secret ballot and a two-thirds majority in the first session, with an absolute majority in subsequent rounds.
Given the social, economic and political crises the country is facing, the coming election is set to be one of the most important in the nation’s history. The stakes are extremely high as the next president of the Lebanese Republic will be in charge for the next six years. The election will be a crucial test for political parties to form alliances and spearhead the political direction of the country.
