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Berri’s Call for ‘Consensus’ over New Lebanese President Sparks Debate on Role of Parliament

Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri casts his vote during the first session to elect a new president at the parliament in Beirut, Lebanon, 29 September 2022. (EPA)
Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri casts his vote during the first session to elect a new president at the parliament in Beirut, Lebanon, 29 September 2022. (EPA)
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Berri’s Call for ‘Consensus’ over New Lebanese President Sparks Debate on Role of Parliament

Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri casts his vote during the first session to elect a new president at the parliament in Beirut, Lebanon, 29 September 2022. (EPA)
Lebanese parliament Speaker Nabih Berri casts his vote during the first session to elect a new president at the parliament in Beirut, Lebanon, 29 September 2022. (EPA)

The Lebanese parliament failed on Thursday to elect a new president for the republic. At its conclusion, Speaker Nabih Berri declared that the legislature will convene again once the MPs reach “consensus” over a presidential candidate.

The session ended with the speaker failing to schedule a date for a new electoral session.

His move has fueled legal and constitutional debate over the role of parliament in electing a president as the term of Michel Aoun draws to its end.

Legal and constitutional experts viewed Berri’s failure to schedule a new electoral session as political.

Founder of Justicia by Dr. Paul Morcos said constitutional regulations demand that electoral rounds be held in succession without long gaps in between.

They demand that 128-member parliament keep trying to elect a president until one is finally elected, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

This means that the parliament must dedicate all of its session to elect a president, and not legislate, he explained.

By failing to set a new electoral session, Berri may have allowed parliament to convene for legislative sessions.

Moreover, the elections will likely now be resolved through a political settlement or the country may be plunged in presidential vacuum, as had happened in the past, when Aoun’s term ends on October 31.

Morcos said Berri was better off holding successive electoral sessions to avoid the vacuum.

Constitutional expert Saeed Malek said parliament is obligated to elect a president and cannot hold legislative sessions.

In remarks to Asharq Al-Awsat, he noted that Article 49 of the constitution speaks of electoral “rounds” not “sessions”.

These rounds should be held in one day or several days in succession, he explained.

This means that the round that was held on Thursday is still open and can only be adjourned with the election of a president, he added.

The constitution stipulates that the parliament must only play an electoral role until a president is elected. It can no longer legislate or vote in a government if it is formed, “unless some officials would like to interpret the constitution according to their political interests,” he added.

Lebanon has yet to form a new government after holding parliamentary elections in May, leaving it at risk of both presidential and government vacuums when Aoun’s term ends.

Member of Berri’s Liberation and Development parliamentary bloc MP Qassem Hashem said Article 75 of the constitution is clear in stipulating that once the first parliamentary electoral session is adjourned, then the speaker is demanded to call for a new one to be held.

Berri will call for a session once consensus is reached on a presidential candidate, he told Asharq Al-Awsat.

In the meantime, the parliament can still exercise its legislative role, he added.

Observers have interpreted Berri’s call for consensus on a president as a sign that the country is headed towards presidential vacuum given that MPs are in disagreement over a candidate.

The election rules mean no one party or alliance can impose their choice, requiring a two-thirds quorum in the politically fractured parliament.

The presidency has fallen vacant several times since the 1975-90 civil war. Anticipating another vacuum, politicians have stepped up efforts to agree a new cabinet led by Prime Minister Najib Mikati - who is currently serving in a caretaker capacity - to which presidential powers could pass.

The Shiite Hezbollah MPs cast blank ballots, as did its allies the Shiite Amal Movement – headed by Berri - and Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, totaling 63 of the 122 lawmakers who attended.

Foreign powers including the United States and European Union have urged timely presidential elections.

A presidential vacuum could further complicate government decision-making as Lebanon enters the fourth year of a financial collapse policymakers have done little or nothing to address.

Hezbollah, Amal and FPM lawmakers left Thursday's session before a second round of voting - when only 65 votes are needed to elect a president - leading to a loss of quorum.

The presidency was vacant for 29 months before Aoun was elected in 2016, thanks to a political deal.

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Arab World

Two Warnings, Arab and Western, ‘Tip the Balance’ in Iraq

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 
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Two Warnings, Arab and Western, ‘Tip the Balance’ in Iraq

Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 
Members of the Popular Mobilization Forces during the funeral of comrades killed in a US strike (AFP). 

In an unusual development, informed sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that the Iraqi government and influential political actors received two extraordinary warning messages over the past two weeks — one from an Arab country and another from a Western intelligence service — containing what were described as “serious” indications of impending, wide-ranging military strikes inside Iraq.

An Iraqi official confirmed that a “friendly state” had briefed Baghdad on the substance of the threat, prompting Shiite factions to move swiftly toward concessions.

According to the sources, potential targets could have included government institutions linked to Shiite factions and the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF), powerful financial and military figures, sites and depots for drones and missiles, and training camps.

The two warnings are widely believed to have accelerated a recent wave of political statements by factions calling to “confine weapons to the state,” while simultaneously requesting time and freedom of action, within what they termed a “national framework”, to dismantle their military capabilities. This position remains a point of contention among leaders of the Coordination Framework.

A Message from a “Friendly State”

The threat level first rose with a message from an Arab country that maintains good relations with both Washington and Tehran. The message warned that Baghdad was perilously close to a swift military strike, likened to the targeting of Hamas’ political office in Doha in September 2025.

The message, delivered to Iraqi officials and politicians, stressed that the threat was “extremely serious” and that Israelis were now speaking openly of having received a green light from the United States to act unilaterally in the Iraqi theater.

Iraq has been among the arenas Israel has contemplated striking since the Oct. 7, 2023 attacks. Iraqi politicians told Asharq Al-Awsat in recent months that Washington had restrained Israel from operating in Iraq, while pressing Baghdad to remove the risks posed by weapons outside state control.

A Western diplomat said US officials felt Iraqi leaders did not fully grasp the gravity of the situation and had grown frustrated with what they saw as a weak response.

An Iraqi government official acknowledged receiving multiple warnings about armed groups from friendly states and Western embassies in Baghdad.

“A Massive File”

Days after the Arab message, Iraqi officials received what sources described as a “massive file” from a Western intelligence service. The file included Israeli-prepared lists packed with detailed information on Iraqi armed factions.

The breadth, precision, and depth of the intelligence stunned Iraqi officials. One told Asharq Al-Awsat that the timing of revealing the extent of Israel’s knowledge was critical. The lists reportedly detailed faction leaders, covert operatives within their inner circles, financiers and business figures tied to the groups, and government institutions serving as fronts for factional influence.

The Western service warned that Israel was on the verge of a broad operation now that the factions’ operational and financial capabilities and the deep networks underpinning their military structures had been exposed. After reviewing parts of the file, Shiite politicians reportedly recalled the pager explosions in Lebanon as a cautionary precedent.

“What Now?”

A senior Shiite leader within the Coordination Framework revealed that the two messages “changed the equation,” pushing party leaders to accelerate steps related to factional arms. Many are now grappling with a single question: what to do next? Disagreements persist over the method and the trusted authority to oversee a transitional phase of weapons consolidation.

The leader noted the first phase would involve handing over ballistic missiles and drones and dismantling and surrendering strategic camps north and south of Baghdad. A second phase, he claimed, would include removing faction-affiliated officials from the PMF, pending the US response.

An official in the State of Law Coalition said an agreement to remove heavy weapons had already existed within the Coordination Framework, even before US pressure intensified. Current disputes center on which state body would take custody of the weapons, amid US distrust of security institutions seen as influenced by factions.

Complicating matters, factions fear implementing disarmament amid fraught negotiations to form a new government. Caretaker Prime Minister Mohammad Shia al-Sudani is seeking a second term after winning the largest bloc within the Coordination Framework, a bid opposed by his rival Nouri al-Maliki, who favors a compromise candidate.

US Pressure

The Western intelligence message coincided with the arrival in Iraq of Senior Defense Official Colonel Stephanie Bagley. US defense funding will hinge on three conditions set out in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, passed on Dec. 11, 2025.

The law conditions assistance on Iraq’s ability to publicly and verifiably reduce the operational capacity of Iran-aligned armed groups not integrated into the security forces through disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration. It also requires strengthening the Iraqi prime minister’s authority as commander-in-chief and investigating and prosecuting militia members or security personnel operating outside the official chain of command if involved in attacks or destabilizing acts.

Western diplomatic sources said Bagley is expected to seek a clear, enforceable timeline from Iraqi officials. She met twice in one week with Army Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Abdul Amir Yarallah in October 2025.

A former Iraqi official noted that Washington has repeatedly pressed Baghdad for a timeline to dismantle militia influence, especially ahead of 2026, when the US-led coalition is set to complete its mission. A US State Department spokesperson reaffirmed that Washington will continue to press for the disarmament of Iran-backed militias that undermine Iraq’s sovereignty and threaten Iraqis and Americans alike.

 

 

Arab World

US, Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye, Urge Restraint in Gaza

Members of the Palestinian Civil Defense remove the rubble of a destroyed home as they search for the bodies of Palestinians killed during the conflict in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 20 December 2025. (EPA)
Members of the Palestinian Civil Defense remove the rubble of a destroyed home as they search for the bodies of Palestinians killed during the conflict in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 20 December 2025. (EPA)
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US, Qatar, Egypt, Türkiye, Urge Restraint in Gaza

Members of the Palestinian Civil Defense remove the rubble of a destroyed home as they search for the bodies of Palestinians killed during the conflict in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 20 December 2025. (EPA)
Members of the Palestinian Civil Defense remove the rubble of a destroyed home as they search for the bodies of Palestinians killed during the conflict in Khan Younis, southern Gaza Strip, 20 December 2025. (EPA)

The United States was joined Saturday by Qatar, Egypt and Türkiye in urging parties in the Gaza ceasefire to uphold their obligations and exercise restraint, the chief US envoy said after talks in Miami.

Top officials from each nation met with Steve Witkoff, President Donald Trump's special envoy, to review the first stage of the ceasefire that came into effect on October 10.

"We reaffirm our full commitment to the entirety of the President’s 20-point peace plan and call on all parties to uphold their obligations, exercise restraint, and cooperate with monitoring arrangements," said a statement posted by Witkoff on X.

Their meeting came amid continuing strains on the agreement.

Gaza's civil defense said six people were killed Friday in Israeli shelling of a shelter. That brought to 400 the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli fire since the deal took effect.

Israel has also repeatedly accused Hamas of violating the truce, with the military reporting of its three soldiers killed in the territory since October.

Saturday's statement cited progress yielded in the first stage of the peace agreement, including expanded humanitarian assistance, return of hostage bodies, partial force withdrawals and a reduction in hostilities.

It called for "the near-term establishment and operationalization" of a transitional administration which is due to happen in the second phase of the agreement, and said consultations would continue in the coming weeks over its implementation.

Under the deal's terms, Israel is supposed to withdraw from its positions in Gaza, an interim authority is to govern the Palestinian territory instead of Hamas, and an international stabilization force is to be deployed.

On Friday, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio expressed hope that countries would contribute troops for the stabilization force, but also urged the disarmament of Hamas, warning the process would unravel unless that happened.

Arab World

Lebanese Deputy PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Political Negotiations with Israel

Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
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Lebanese Deputy PM to Asharq Al-Awsat: No Political Negotiations with Israel

Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)
Smoke rises from the site of a series of Israeli airstrikes that targeted the outskirts of the southern Lebanese village of al-Katrani on December 18, 2025. (AFP)

Lebanon’s Deputy Prime Minister Tarek Mitri denied on Saturday that the appointment of civilian negotiators between Lebanon and Israel means that political negotiations have been launched between the two neighbors.

He told Asharq Al-Awsat that the negotiating team is primarily tasked with ensuring that the Lebanese army carries out Lebanon’s part of the ceasefire with Israel.

The army is close to completing the first phase of the agreement to impose state monopoly over arms in southern Lebanon, he added.

Other phases of the deal will follow to cover the whole of Lebanon.

Mitri added that attention must be focused on not giving Israel excuses to attack Lebanon, meaning Lebanon must meet its ceasefire obligations.

He warned, however, that Israel "could expand its military operations in Lebanon with or without excuses."

He noted that the United States appears to be pressuring Israel against launching a new war against Lebanon.

Lebanon is close to completing the disarmament of Hezbollah south of the Litani River, Prime Minister Nawaf Salam said on Saturday, as the country races to fulfil a key demand of its ceasefire with Israel before a year-end deadline.

The US-backed ceasefire, agreed in November 2024, ended more than a year of fighting between Israel and Hezbollah and required the disarmament of the Iran-aligned group, starting in areas south of the river adjacent to Israel.

Lebanese authorities, ‌led by President ‌Joseph Aoun and Salam, tasked the Lebanese ‌army ⁠on August ‌5 with devising a plan to establish a state monopoly on arms by the end of the year.

"Prime Minister Salam affirmed that the first phase of the weapons consolidation plan related to the area south of the Litani River is only days away from completion," a statement from his ⁠office said.

"The state is ready to move on to the second ‌phase - namely (confiscating weapons) north of the ‍Litani River - based on the ‍plan prepared by the Lebanese army pursuant to ‍a mandate from the government," Salam added.

The statement came after Salam held talks with Simon Karam, Lebanon's top civilian negotiator on a committee overseeing the Hezbollah-Israel truce.

Since the ceasefire, the sides have regularly accused each other of violations, with Israel questioning the Lebanese army's efforts to disarm Hezbollah. ⁠Israeli warplanes have increasingly targeted Hezbollah in southern Lebanon and even in the capital.

Israel has publicly urged Lebanese authorities to fulfil the conditions of the truce, saying it will act "as ‌necessary" if Lebanon fails to take steps against Hezbollah, which has refused to disarm.