Beirut - Every few weeks for the past year, Lebanon's parliament has met, exchanged pleasantries, and made the same announcement: that it has again been unable to elect a president.
Pluralistic but divided Lebanon has now been without a head of state for 12 months, the longest time the post has been vacant since the devastating civil war ended in 1990.
But analysts say that regional conflicts, particularly the raging war in neighbouring Syria, make a presidential election in Lebanon unlikely in the near future.
"As long as the region is in constant turmoil, as we are experiencing now... Lebanon will have a difficult time agreeing on a president," said Imad Salamey, professor of political science at the Lebanese American University in Beirut.
Sahar Atrash, analyst at the International Crisis Group, told AFP that Lebanon, which is influenced heavily by regional powerhouses Iran and Saudi Arabia, "is not a priority" for now.
"Today, the regional sponsors are waging direct wars and proxy wars, and the regional issues are much bigger than meeting to elect a president for Lebanon," she said.
Since Michel Sleiman's term in office ended on May 25, 2014, parliament -- which is responsible for electing the president -- has failed 23 times to meet the two-thirds quorum required to hold an electoral session.
Since independence, Lebanon's leadership posts have been distributed among its largest religious sects: Sunni Muslims, Shiite Muslims and Christians, for whom the presidency is reserved.
With the onset of the Syrian regime's tutelage over Lebanon in 1990, the head of state -- whose powers had largely been weakened -- was elected with specific orders from Damascus.
AFP
