The Lebanese parliament has adjourned a key presidential vote until October 23.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Beri, a Syrian ally, said there were not enough MPs present to make the required two-thirds quorum.
The parliament was scheduled to start the voting process for a new president on Tuesday. The parliament needs to vote on a replacement for incumbent President Emile Lahoud, who is backed by Damascus, by November 23, when his term ends.
The opposition boycotted Tuesday’s session. They want to prevent the pro-Western anti-Syrian bloc, which has a narrow majority in the assembly, from electing an anti-Syrian president.
The crisis was compounded last Wednesday with the assassination of anti-Syrian MP Antoine Ghanem.
The killing further cut the voting power of the coalition, reducing their seats to 68 in the 128-member assembly, not enough to secure the quorum required in the first round of voting.
Ghanem’s assassination sparked accusations against the opposition and against Syria. The anti-Syrian bloc accuses Damascus of orchestrating the assassination and trying to derail the vote.
A spate of assassinations of anti-Syrian figures began in February 2005 with the murder of former prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri. The assassination brought thousands of demonstrators to the streets of Beirut. Syria withdrew its forces the following April, ending a 29-year presence in the country, but critics say Damascus is still pulling the strings in Beirut.
Syria denies any involvement in the assassinations.