Lebanon's parliament on Thursday failed for a sixth time to elect a new president since the term of former President Michel Aoun ended on Oct. 31. House Speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a seventh attempt on November 24, the National News Agency reports.
A similar deadlock took place in Lebanon from May 2014 to October 2016. Parliament failed 45 times to elect Aoun as president before succeeding on its 46th try.
"Lebanon cannot bear longer periods of presidential vacancy, and the Lebanese cannot endure further deterioration," Berri said during his meeting with a delegation from the Lebanese Press Syndicate.
Why is the situation so complicated?
According to the Lebanese constitution, the president is elected in a secret ballot by lawmakers in the 128-member parliament, which is evenly divided between Muslim and Christian sects. The presidential candidate must receive at least two-thirds of the vote and if there's a runoff, an absolute majority is required to win the election.
Hezbollah is a powerful armed group and political party, backed by Iran, and holds significant sway in Lebanon. Its leader Hassan Nasrallah has said that it wants the next president to be a politician that "does not stab the resistance in the back."
The public perception is that Hezbollah widely backs politician Sleiman Frangieh, a close ally, for the post. Meanwhile, Lebanon's Western-backed coalition supports Michel Moawad, a harsh critic of Hezbollah and its stockpile of weapons, the Associated Press reports.
In addition, Lebanon has had its power-sharing system in place since after the country's independence from French mandate in 1943. The president must come from the Maronite Catholic sect; the prime minister must be a Sunni and the parliament speaker a Shiite.
Michel Aoun was elected president in 2016 following a grand bargain endorsed by Hezbollah and Aoun's main Maronite Christian rival Samir Geagea. Sunni Muslim politician Saad al-Hariri was brought back as prime minister.
From electing a president to forming a new cabinet, the political system requires complex bargaining among political parties and religious groups. Foreign influence can further complicate the process.
What happens now in Lebanon
Lebanon's president is in charge of enacting legislation, appointing the prime minister, and approving cabinet formation before it is submitted to parliament for a vote of confidence.
The cabinet is in charge of making executive decisions.
With a leadership vacuum, the country is now being run by Prime Minister Najib Mikati's caretaker cabinet with limited powers.
Lebanon is now facing the worst economic and financial crisis in its modern history, which has impoverished more than 80 percent of its population and paralyzed its banking system.
In May, the government reached a draft deal with the IMF to release much-needed aid. But Beirut has done little to implement the necessary reforms to seal the deal.
Deputy Prime Minister Saade Chami has said Lebanon could still submit its progress to the IMF board for review but was not sure if the final deal would require a president's approval.
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