There will be no president for Lebanon for at least another year, as efforts and initiatives to break the presidential election deadlock are put on hold. A prominent leader in the opposition camp blamed the prolonged stalemate on the “Shiite duo”, Amal and Hezbollah, who managed to disrupt the efforts of the five-nation group known as the Paris Quintet as well as all local initiatives, due to their inflexible attachment to their presidential candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, and to Speaker Nabih Berri’s condition to hold a pre-election dialogue.
“There will be no presidential elections in the foreseeable future. Another year of presidential vacancy is expected,” the opposition leader said.
He argued that the solution to the presidential crisis in Lebanon has become tightly linked to a regional settlement, as the Shiite duo insists on adopting the Iranian agenda and placing Tehran’s interests over those of Lebanon. As things stand now, the region is increasingly heading toward open conflict, and only after that would a settlement mature, and with it a solution for Lebanon.
