Lebanon MPs Fail Again to Elect President Despite Economic Crisis

Even though the vacancy is impeding efforts to revive the faltering economy, the Lebanese parliament failed to pick Michel Aoun's replacement for the eighth time on Thursday.

The influential Hezbollah movement is supported by Iran and has a sizable following in parliament, but neither side has a clear majority.

Despite receiving the support of 42 out of the 128 members of parliament, Michel Moawad's vote total fell far short of the necessary majority and was surpassed by the number of spoilt ballots cast by lawmakers who supported Hezbollah.

Hezbollah, whose leader Hassan Nasrallah called for a president prepared to stand up to the United States this month, opposes Moawad's candidacy.

Sami Gemayel, a Christian MP and supporter of Moawad, stated: "This is not an electoral process; it is a process of waiting for agreement that is to the harm of the country, the people, the economy, and the constitution."

Previous Lebanese presidents' elections experienced delays.