Lebanese parliament fails to elect new president

Speaker of Lebanese Parliament Nabil Berri postponed on Thursday for the 21st time the session to elect a new head of state over lack of quorum as civil society groups rallied near parliament to protest the ongoing vacuum.
The session was adjourned to April 22.
President Michel Suleiman's term ended in May without the election of a successor as the ongoing disputes between the rival March 8 and 14 camps have thwarted the polls.
Free Patriotic Movement leader MP Michel Aoun's Change and Reform and Hizbullah's Loyalty to the Resistance blocs have been boycotting the elections, demanding that political powers agree on a compromise presidential candidate.
Several civil society groups held a rally on Thursday outside the parliament in Beirut's Riad al-Solh to protest the procrastination of lawmakers regarding the presidential vacuum, Naharnet reported.
Only few MPs have been attending the sessions.