The Lebanese Parliament will meet on January 9, 2025 to elect a President of the Republic, in this country without a head of state for more than two years, official media announced.
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“ Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri calls MPs to a session to elect a President of the Republic on January 9 », indicated the National Information Agency, the official Lebanese press agency, on Thursday, November 28.
The announcement comes the day after a ceasefire came into force that ended the war between Israel and powerful pro-Iranian Hezbollah.
Since the end of President Michel Aoun’s mandate on October 31, 2022, the differences between the powerful Hezbollah and its adversaries prevented the election of a head of stateneither side having a majority in Parliament.
“ Bring together, not divide »
But Hezbollah leader Naïm Qassem, who succeeded Hassan Nasrallah, killed in an Israeli strike at the end of September, promised in a speech on November 20 to bring “ an effective contribution to the election of a president “. On Wednesday, the Prime Minister Najib Mikati had expressed the hope that the ceasefire agreement would open “ a new page » in the history of Lebanon and called for the rapid election of a president.
Nabih Berri, who chairs the influential Shiite Amal movement, an ally of Hezbollahhad also spoken out in favor of “ hasten the election of a President of the Republic “. He stressed that this president must “ bring together and not divide » the Lebanese, whose war, triggered by the Hezbollah party, has accentuated the differences.
Under the confessional power-sharing system, the presidency of the Lebanon is reserved for a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister is a Sunni Muslim and the President of Parliament a Shiite Muslim.
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