US urges Lebanese parliament to elect president

The United States has called on Lebanon’s parliament to elect a new president, as the country marks six months without a leader at the helm amid grinding political and economic turmoil.

“The United States calls on Lebanon’s political leadership to move expeditiously to elect a president to unite the country and swiftly enact the reforms needed to rescue its economy from crisis,” State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said in a statement.

“Lebanon’s leaders must not put their personal interests and ambitions above the interests of their country and people.”

A caretaker cabinet with limited powers has been at the helm since May last year after legislative polls gave no side a clear majority.

Former president Michel Aoun’s term then expired in October, with no successor lined up. Numerous parliamentary votes have been held since, but no candidate has garnered enough support to succeed Aoun.

Hezbollah, which holds huge sway over political life in Lebanon, has endorsed pro-Syrian Suleiman Franjieh for the presidency.

In November, Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said the group wanted whoever is selected as Lebanon’s next president to “reassure” the group and stand up to the United States, as Hezbollah’s members in government cast blank ballots during voting.

Iran’s foreign minister last week also called for the country to overcome its political deadlock and elect a president.

Countries including France, the United States and Saudi Arabia hold regular consultations on Lebanon. Their representatives met in February in Paris to discuss the crisis, without achieving any tangible progress.

“The United States believes Lebanon needs a president free of corruption who can unite the country... and implement critical economic reforms, chief among them those required to secure an International Monetary Fund (IMF) program,” Miller said.

“The answers to Lebanon’s political and economic crises can only come from within Lebanon, and not the international community.”

The country has been mired in economic crisis since a 2019 financial meltdown, punctuated by political deadlock.