Lebanon - November 2022

Lebanon’s Parliament failed to elect a new president amid a political deadlock. The presidential vacuum marks a new phase in Lebanon’s crisis that began with a financial collapse in 2019, and further instability is expected. The country remains without a head of state and has a Cabinet with limited powers since the former President, Michel Aoun, left office on 31 October after completing a six-year term without Parliament’s consensus on a successor. Following Aoun’s departure, Lebanese lawmakers ruled on 3 November that the caretaker government led by Najib Mikati is the country’s legitimate executive authority and can assume the powers of the president in accordance with the constitution.

Sources: Arab Centre, Middle East Monitor, Reuters