Lebanon (MNN) — Lebanon’s parliament has failed to elect a president for the fourth and final time. It means Michel Aoun’s term ended on October 31 with a presidential vacuum.
A two-thirds majority vote would be needed to choose a successor, and a unanimous vote to install them.
Pierre Houssney with Horizons International says, “It’s really something we’ve become accustomed to, operating the country without a government. And really, when the government is operating and functioning, its main function is just to steal resources from the taxpayers. It’s kind of a strange status quo, having governments come and governments go, not have a president for 18 months.”
“And then there is lots of bargaining before they finally agree on somebody, and then not much changes even when there is a president.”
The way Lebanon’s government is structured; a Maronite Christian occupies the position of president. Meanwhile, A Sunni Muslim acts as Prime Minister and a Shia Muslim as the Speaker of the Parliament.
The current government already operates in a limited capacity, having resigned after the May 15 parliamentary elections.
Financial struggles
In the meantime, people in Lebanon are struggling to keep the lights on. Houssney says, “A lot of people rely on family members that are abroad to send them remittance payments. It’s just like in Venezuela, when the economy was collapsing and super inflation hyperinflation were going on. They just have to have somebody on the outside that sends them 100 bucks for 200 bucks every once in a while, and that’ll get them by.”
But many people in Lebanon also do not have anybody on the outside. During difficult times, pray the love of Christians would point to Jesus.
The header photo shows the outgoing Lebanese President, Michel Aoun. (Photo courtesy of Quirinale.it, Attribution, via Wikimedia Commons)
