Lebanese PM Mikati calls for the election of 'consensus President' for Lebanon

Record ID: 1845795

  • Title: Lebanese PM Mikati calls for the election of 'consensus President' for Lebanon
  • Date: 2nd October 2024
  • Summary: BEIRUT, LEBANON (OCTOBER 2, 2024) (REUTERS) ***WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** LEBANON'S CARETAKER PRIME MINISTER NAJIB MIKATI ARRIVING BEFORE MEETING WITH LEBANESE PARLIAMENT SPEAKER NABIH BERRI AND LEBANESE DRUZE LEADER WALID JUMBLAT VARIOUS OF MIKATI STANDING NEXT TO BERRI (MIDDLE) AND JUMBLAT (RIGHT) MIKATI STANDING IN FRONT OF LECTERN BEFORE PRESS CONFERENCE (S
  • Embargoed: 16th October 2024 17:38
  • Keywords: Beirut Israel Lebanon Presidency Prime Minister War
  • Location: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • City: BEIRUT, LEBANON
  • Country: Lebanon
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace,Middle East
  • Reuters ID: LVA001887902102024RP1
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: Israel's offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon has prompted a renewed bid by some of the country's leading politicians to fill a two-year-long presidential vacuum, an effort to revive the paralysed state as it grapples with an escalating conflict.
    Lebanon has not had a president or a fully empowered cabinet since October 2022 due to a power struggle in which Hezbollah has played a big part. Along with its allies, the heavily armed Shi'ite Muslim group has insisted the post, reserved for a Maronite Christian, go to their ally Suleiman Frangieh.
    With Hezbollah reeling from the killing of its leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, the presidency came into renewed focus this week when key Hezbollah ally - the Shi'ite Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri - indicated new flexibility on the matter, telling Prime Minister Najib Mikati he supported the election of a president who doesn't represent "a challenge" to anyone.
    The presidency is decided by a vote in Lebanon's 128-seat parliament. No single political alliance has enough seats to impose its choice, meaning an understanding among rival blocs is needed to secure the election of a candidate.
    Following a meeting on Wednesday with Berri and Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, Mikati read a joint statement calling for the election of a "consensus president who will reassure everyone and dispel their concerns".
    The statement did not name any candidates.
    A Hezbollah official told Reuters the group had delegated Berri to negotiate on its behalf over the presidency.
    (Production: Ahmed El Kerdi, Heba Fouad)
  • Copyright Holder: REUTERS
  • Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2024. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
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