Lebanon’s Parliament Fails to Elect a New President

The Lebanese parliament failed on Wednesday to garner the two-thirds vote necessary to elect a president. The selection process pits one candidate and two factions against each other: Hizbullah; and the anti-Hizbullah March 14 movement whose candidate was the subject of the vote. Samir Geagea was able to muster only 48 out of 128 possible votes, with a two-thirds majority needed to elect him president. The outcome came as no surprise and another vote was set for April when only a simple majority will be necessary. After the vote, Geagea called on the Hizbullah/March 14 bloc to run a candidate “so there can be democratic elections.” The Beirut-based Daily Star newspaper warns to expect a tough round of “horse-trading” in an effort to name a president.