Berri Keen to Elect 'Made in Lebanon' President, to Begin Consultations if Lack of Quorum Continues

Speaker Nabih Berri said on Wednesday that his parliamentary bloc will attend the legislative session to elect a new president, stressing the need to elect a “made in Lebanon head of state.”

Berri said in remarks published in local newspapers that the Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc will attend all sessions set to elect a new president.

“We will be the first to enter the session and the last to get out,” his visitors quoted him as saying.

According to An Nahar newspaper, the Speaker warned that he will give lawmakers two more sessions to agree on a new president but if they failed “he will not remain mum.”

“If there was lack of quorum I will postpone the session to another date,” Berri said.

Lawmakers are expected anew to fail to elect a new president on Wednesday over lack of quorum as the March 8 alliance, except for Berri's bloc, decided not to attend the session over lack of consensus on the name of the candidate.

The head of the AMAL movement said that he will kick off his contacts with the political arch-foes in order to reach common ground over the name of the new president ahead of May 25 deadline.

Asked if any foreign country is interfering in the presidential poll, Berri stressed that “he is keen to make it a local affair.”

“I have demanded the Americans not to interfere in the matter and I was informed that they don't favor any candidate and have no veto on any,” the speaker said.

Lawmakers failed last week to elect a new president as no candidate was able to garner the needed two-thirds of votes of the 128-member parliament to become Lebanon's next head of state.

Lebanese Forces chief Samir Geagea received the votes of only 48 MPs while 16 lawmakers voted for Aley lawmaker Henri Helou, one for Kataeb party chief ex-President Amin Gemayel and 52 MPs from the Hizbullah-led March 8 alliance cast blank ballots.

The majority of March 8 alliance MPs withdrew from the session after the vote, resulting in lack of quorum.

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