Presidential election fails in Lebanon for the 12th time Security guard fails to recognize professional golfer and throws him to the ground

In Lebanon, the election of a president has failed for the twelfth time. The country is thus stuck in a political vacuum. In a first vote of the twelfth attempt in parliament on Wednesday, no candidate received the required majority.

There was no second vote because not enough MPs were present. Members of the Hezbollah party left parliament after their preferred candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, finished behind his main rival, Jihad Asur, on the first ballot. Asur is a former finance minister and a senior official at the International Monetary Fund.

The election of a president in Lebanon repeatedly fails due to power struggles within the political elite. The country, which has a population of about six million, is currently ruled by Prime Minister Najib Mikati. The government can only act to a limited extent.

The previous president, Michel Aoun, left office as planned at the end of October after the end of his term. Since then, the country has been without a head of state. In multiconfessional Lebanon, power has been divided according to a proportional system for decades. The president is always a Christian, the head of government a Sunni and the speaker of parliament a Shia. A particularly influential role is played by Iran-affiliated Shiite Hezbollah, which has its own militias.

The Mediterranean country has been suffering for more than three years from the worst economic crisis in its history. The coin has lost more than 95 percent of its value. Lebanon needs both a president and a functioning government to implement the reforms that have been lacking so far. (sda/dpa)