Speaker of Lebanon’s parliament calls for presidential election on January 9

Speaker of Lebanon’s parliament calls for presidential election on January 9

Speaker of the Lebanese Parliament, Nabih Berri, called on Thursday for a session to elect the President of the Republic on January 9, the day after the announcement of a ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and the Israeli entity.

The National News Agency quoted Berri as saying, “The session will be fruitful, and we have been given a month to reach consensus among ourselves, and I will invite the ambassadors of the countries to attend.”

Berri’s call for a session to elect a president comes after more than two years of vacancy in this position due to the lack of consensus among the political forces.

Parliament has held 12 sessions since the end of former President Michel Aoun’s term at the end of October 2022 but failed to elect a president.

Today, the French envoy, former Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, arrived in Lebanon, where he met Berri and is expected to meet caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.

The ceasefire agreement between Lebanon and the Israeli entity entered into force at dawn yesterday, Wednesday, November 27, more than a year after the outbreak of clashes between Hezbollah and Israeli forces, which since September 23 turned into a devastating Israeli war on Lebanon.