Lebanese Parliament Speaker Berri Urges Dialogue To End Lebanon’s Presidential Standoff

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri urged political factions on Monday to engage in dialogue to break the presidential election deadlock, which has left the country leaderless since former President Michel Aoun’s term concluded last October. In an interview with the daily al-Joumhouriya, Berri stressed the urgency of the matter, calling for a seven-day dialogue followed by open parliamentary sessions until a president is elected.

The Lebanese parliament has conducted 12 election sessions to date without success. The two main political blocs—Hizbullah and its allies, and opposing parties—have failed to secure a majority needed to elect a new head of state. The deadlock comes as Lebanon grapples with an unprecedented financial crisis, making it imperative to elect a president and establish a new cabinet to implement critical reforms. Berri said that all parties bore the responsibility to elect a president in September to put Lebanon on the path to recovery.