Lebanon Fails to Elect President for 12th Time, Hezbollah Breaks Quorum

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Facts

  • On its twelfth attempt, Lebanon's 128-member parliament failed to elect a president after a bloc led by the powerful Iran-backed political party and militant group Hezbollah withdrew following the first round of voting, breaking quorum and preventing a second round vote.1
  • Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun, a Hezbollah ally, left office in October. Electing a president requires a two-thirds majority (86 votes) in Parliament in the first round of voting, while a second requires only 65 votes, with the Parliament's last attempt being held in January.2
  • Former finance minister and current IMF official Jihad Azour is currently the leading candidate supported by Lebanon’s main Christian parties, including the Hezbollah-aligned Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) and the Hezbollah-opposed Lebanese Forces party. Azour also has the support of the majority of Druze MPs and some Sunni MPs.3
  • Azour received 59 votes, while Hezbollah-backed Suleiman Frangieh got 51 votes — the remaining ballots were cast for independent candidates or left blank. Hezbollah MPs say that consensus is necessary to elect a president.4
  • Lebanon’s power vacuum has worsened the situation for the next president, who must navigate an unprecedented economic crisis that has persisted since 2019. Azour’s position at the IMF is a major asset for his candidacy, as Lebanon seeks a bailout from the organization.5
  • Lebanon has a complex sectarian power-sharing system that traditionally calls for the president to be a Maronite Christian, the PM to be a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament to be a Shiite Muslim.6

Sources: 1ABC News, 2Al Jazeera, 3Associated Press, 4Iran International, 5Independent, and 6Yahoo Life.

Narratives

  • Narrative A, as provided by This is Beirut. It's sad that Lebanon’s political landscape has been left in limbo while Hezbollah continues to play needless games and make a mockery of the country’s electoral system. Hezbollah and its allies are unconstitutionally hijacking parliament to gain decision-making power, as the Hezbollah-allied parliament speaker Nabih Berri closed the session to the objection of most MPs. It remains to be seen how long this charade will continue, and Lebanon will, unfortunately, pay the price for these unsavory tactics.
  • Narrative B, as provided by Reuters. Hezbollah and its allied parties have every right to object to a candidate and represent its constituents. The Lebanese system requires two-thirds of parliament’s support to elect a president for a reason, and MPs are not obligated to support any candidate. Political objection is part of a democracy, and Hezbollah politicians will not budge.
  • Narrative C, as provided by Al Mayadeen. Jihad Azour's candidacy demonstrates the arrogance of the anti-Hezbollah forces in the Lebanese Parliament. Only a few years ago, the FPM lambasted the Siniora government, under which Azour served, for corruption, but now they are more than happy to promote that very same corruption. Frangieh is a friend of the resistance, and his presidency would be a forward step in uniting the country.

Predictions