Despite its name a Christian party allied with Hizbullah, neither free nor particularly patriotic...
Thirty nine blank votes were cast and thirty nine MPs voted for MP Michel Mouawad.
Nine MPs voted for New Leb
...an Iranian colony situated on the eastern Mediterranean, conveniently adjacent to Israel. Formerly inhabited by hardy Phoenecian traders, its official language is now Arabic, with the usual unpleasant side effects. The Leb civil war, between 1975 and 1990, lasted a little over 145 years and produced 120,000 fatalities. The average length of a ceasefire was measured in seconds. The Lebs maintain a precarious sectarian balance among Shiites, Sunnis, and about a dozeen flavors of Christians. It is the home of Hezbollah, which periodically starts a war with the Zionist Entity, gets Beirut pounded to rubble, and then declares victory and has a parade. The Lebs have the curious habit of periodically murdering their heads of state or prime ministers..., five voted for prominent historian and academic Issam khalifeh, and one MP voted for former Minister Ziad Baroud.
Three votes went to tossed in the clink
Drop the heater, Studs, or you're hist'try!
customs chief Badri Daher.
FPM chief Jebran Bassil had blasted Hezbollah for attending an FPM-boycotted caretaker cabinet session on Monday, accusing them of "betrayal".
Hezbollah responded by dabbing Bassil's comment as "unwise" and "inappropriate." It said, in a statement Thursday, that it had not promised the FPM that its ministers would not attend cabinet sessions.
Al-Jadeed TV had earlier said that some of the FPM MPs might vote for Mouawad during today's session, as a political message.
Some votes for "Mouawad," "Michel," "Mouawad Badri Daher," were annulled.
In the past eight session, Hezbollah, Amal and the FPM had cast blank ballots, while the Lebanese Forces
A Christian political party founded by Bashir Gemayel, who was then bumped off when he was elected president of Leb...
, the Progressive Socialist Party and some change and independent MPs had endorsed Mouawad.
MP Wael Bou Faour from the Democratic Gathering bloc said that his bloc might endorse in the future former MP Salah Honein after holding discussions with other blocs.
Honein had officially announced on Wednesday his candidacy for presidency. He garnered only one vote in today's session.
Quorum was lost as usual before the second round of voting. Parliament will convene again next Thursday to elect a president.