Berri: Internal Forces Hold Sway over Who Will Be Elected President

Speaker Nabih Berri hoped that the election of a new president will take place during one parliamentary session, reported As Safir newspaper on Tuesday.

He told the daily: “I believe that internal forces will hold sway over who will be elected president.”

He also hoped that he will not be forced to call parliament to session to elect a president several times, as had happened for the election of President Michel Suleiman.

At the time, he had called parliament to session 18 times, but it failed to convene over a lack of quorum, the speaker reminded the daily.

“I will exert the greatest efforts to guarantee that quorum is met for the session to elect a president,” stressed Berri.

“My priority will be to guarantee that two thirds of the lawmakers will attend the session,” he continued.

“The session to elect a president is the smoothest of parliamentary sessions because it is limited to lawmakers casting their votes followed by the announcement of the result,” he explained.

The presidential elections are scheduled for May 25.

Berri had formed a committee, comprised of his Development and Liberation bloc to hold consultations with Lebanon's rival parties on the upcoming presidential elections.

The consultations will kick off after March 25 in conjunction with talks that he would hold with the same sides to guarantee the appropriate atmosphere to hold a parliamentary session.

Suleiman's six-year term ends in May, but the constitution states that the parliament should start meeting after March 25 to elect a new head of state.

No one has yet officially announced his candidacy for the top post, but there are several contenders from the rival March 8 and 14 camps.