Lebanon’s parliament Speaker Nabih Berri stressed on Friday that efforts are ongoing to hold the presidential elections on time on January 9.
Speaking to Asharq Al-Awsat, he said he had no intention to delay the elections and he had not received any request to that end from any of the political powers.
Lebanon has been without a head of state since October 2022 when the term of President Michel Aoun ended without the election of a successor. Bickering between the political blocs over a suitable candidate has thwarted the polls.
Efforts are underway to ensure that the elections are a success, declared Berri.
He denied claims that he was seeking understandings over the shape of the new government, including its prime minister, lineup and agenda, ahead of the elections.
The presidential elections come first, he stated.
There are constitutional guidelines that dictate what happens after the elections, he added, referring to the binding parliamentary consultations the new president will hold to name a new prime minister.
The prime minister, in turn, will hold non-binding consultations with lawmakers over the government lineup.
Berri declined to comment on his ally, former MP Walid Jumblatt’s endorsement of army commander Joseph Aoun as president, saying: “Everything will become clear during the elections.”
The speaker had previously said that Aoun’s election requires a constitutional amendment that demands the resignation of first-rank civil servants, including the army commander, at least two years before their election as president.
Aoun, who is not related to Michel Aoun, is projected to win 86 votes in the elections.
Meanwhile, Hezbollah MP Hussein al-Hajj Hassan dismissed the figure, saying no candidate has the needed number of votes to be elected president.
He added that Hezbollah is holding contacts over the elections but it does not have time to reveal what they have yielded.
The results will be revealed during the elections in January, he told the Sputnik news agency.
