US special envoy Amos Hochstein surprised on Wednesday the Lebanese opposition by proposing holding presidential elections as soon as possible.
The envoy met a delegation from the opposition on the sidelines of his visit to Beirut where he met with Speaker Nabih Berri and caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati for talks on de-escalating the soaring tensions between Hezbollah and Israel.
One of the lawmakers who met with Hochstein said he focused with Berri and Mikati on the urgent need to elect a president.
Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022 when the term of Michel Aoun ended without the election of a successor because of political squabbling between various parties.
The MP said that efforts had been made before to hold the elections, and now, they are being tied to the situation in the South.
It is necessary to elect a president and appoint a new government so that they can both oversee the implementation of United Nations Security Council resolution 1701 and the reconstruction of the South, he added.
Sources following Hochstein’s talks in Beirut said he hoped that enough opportunity would be given to the Doha ceasefire talks on Gaza.
Reaching a ceasefire will impact the southern front in Lebanon, he added, while stressing the need for intense contacts to reach permanent stability and the gradual implementation of resolution 1701.
