Lebanon fails to elect president for eighth time

The Lebanese parliament failed Wednesday for the eighth time to elect a new president due to a lack of quorum.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said he would postpone the legislative session to vote for a new president till July 23.
Lebanon is witnessing a vacuum in the presidency post following the end of President Michel Suleiman's term on May 25th. According to the constitution, the cabinet takes charge of the president's post until the election of a new president.
Lebanon has been split between two major opposing camps, resulting in a political deadlock throughout the government. The March 8 camp backs President Bashar al-Assad of neighboring Syria, while members of the March 14 camp oppose the Syrian government and support rebels in their fight against Assad.
The parliament has early failed in seven consecutive rounds to elect a new president due to the differences between the two alliances, which have caused a failure to reach two thirds of the 128-member parliament as required quorum in the sessions.
There are growing fears that a prolonged vacuum in the country' s top presidency post would deteriorate the country's situation as it is struggling with violence, economic decline and an influx of Syrian refugees.
According to the Lebanese constitution, the president should be elected with two thirds of the parliament votes in the first round of election and a simple majority in the further rounds.
The constitution also stipulates that the president should be Christian Maronite, the parliament speaker should be a Muslim Shiite and the prime minister a Sunni.