Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri casts his vote as Lebanon's newly elected parliament convenes for the first time to elect a speaker and deputy speaker, in Beirut, Lebanon May 31, 2022. Lebanese Parliament/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES
Lebanon’s Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri has called the lawmakers for a parliament session on June 14 to elect a new head of state, Lebanon’s MTV station said Monday.
Berri’s announcement came less than 24-hours after the opposition announced on Sunday they had nominated IMF official and former minister Jihad Azour as their candidate for the post.
“As a result of extensive contacts we have agreed on the name of Jihad Azour,” said the opposition in a statement, adding that their candidate has garnered consensus of several blocks including the Strong Lebanon bloc of the Free Patriotic Movement.
They urged Berri to invite the parliament for “successive” meetings to elect a president to fill the post vacant since the end of the term of President Michel Aoun on October 31.
