Berri Shifts Focus to Presidential Vote for Country’s Protection, Report Says

Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker, Nabih Berri, has made an appeal to all relevant parties to prioritize the election of a president in order to safeguard the nation. This call was reported by sources from Ain el-Tineh to al-Joumhouria newspaper and published on Thursday.

These sources indicate that Berri is actively engaged in efforts to resolve the deadlock over the presidential election. He has been incorporating discussions about this crucial matter in his meetings with various envoys and ambassadors. Berri has also encouraged Qatar to continue its involvement in facilitating the presidential election process in Lebanon.

According to a previous report by al-Liwaa newspaper, high-ranking Lebanese officials have reached out to the Qatari leadership. This includes interactions during caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati’s meetings in Davos, urging Qatar to dispatch its envoy, Jassem bin Fahad Al-Thani, to Lebanon to reinvigorate the presidential election efforts.

Qatar, along with a group of five nations including the U.S., France, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt, has been trying to aid in the election of a Lebanese president. However, these efforts were halted due to the outbreak of the Gaza war.

Lebanon has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term concluded in October of the previous year. The current political landscape is divided, with neither the Hezbollah bloc nor its opposition having a sufficient majority to elect a president.

France has expressed concern over the ongoing presidential void in Lebanon, warning that it hampers the country’s ability to address its multiple crises and poses a risk of security deterioration, especially considering the potential escalation of cross-border conflicts between Israel and Hezbollah.