A parliamentary session to elect Lebanon's president was delayed for the 11th time Friday, with rival parties deadlocked over a constitutional amendment and the shape of a future unity government. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri postponed Saturday's session until Jan. 12, according to the legislature's secretary general.
The decision had been widely expected. Opposition boycotts have thwarted attempts to choose a president by preventing a two-thirds quorum. The post has been empty since pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term expired Nov. 23. According to the AP, lawmakers on both sides have agreed to back Army Commander Gen. Michel Suleiman as a compromise candidate, but parliament must first amend the constitution to allow a sitting military chief to become president.
