Lebanon fails for 9th time to elect a president

The Lebanese parliament has failed for the ninth time on Thursday to elect a president.

MP Michel Moawad got 39 votes, while Essam Khalifa only 5 votes. Thirty-nine MPs cast white ballot papers.

The six-year presidential term of former Lebanese leader Michel Aoun ended on October 31.

Since then, Lebanon’s presidential duties have been partly performed by the transitional cabinet.

Attempts to elect a new president have been ongoing since late September, since no candidate has succeeded in securing the required minimum of two-thirds of the vote in the 128-seat parliament.