The election of a president for the House of Representatives, along with his deputy and the Bureau, remains a major concern in the political sphere of Lebanon. Although there have been no signs or indicators regarding the date for these elections, sources following the matter have predicted for "Al-Anbaa" that it may take place next Tuesday. Sources close to Ain al-Tineh, the headquarters of President Nabih Berri, the only candidate and the oldest member, indicate that the new parliament members and parliamentary blocs are still in the phase of reading and monitoring, and that the session will be held at the appropriate time.
With Berri having received the promise from the Democratic Gathering bloc to vote for him, along with support from other members, he may obtain at least 65 votes, contrary to some reports of lower numbers. Regarding upcoming entitlements, particularly the presidency of the House of Representatives, sources from "Nidaa al-Watan" noted that the Free Patriotic Movement, headed by MP Gebran Bassil, is likely to refrain from naming President Nabih Berri, raising questions about the relationship between the two parties, especially after they contested the parliamentary elections together.
On another note, "An-Nahar" pointed out that despite the political stagnation that characterized the internal scene yesterday, the impressions accumulated regarding the political and economic-financial situations seem to be under a progressively worsening gloom, particularly concerning the deteriorating living conditions. No positive development has been recorded regarding the stalemate surrounding the election of the president, his deputy, and the Bureau, amid a complete paralysis in political communications and consultations, along with the rigidity of various new and old parliamentary groups regarding the candidacy of President Nabih Berri without any Shiite competitor.
Furthermore, there has been a widely echoed sentiment that the two-week period set in the council's regulations, following the start of the elected council's term, for the call issued by the oldest member to elect the council president is a period of encouragement rather than a deadline. It appears evident that this may pave the way for President Berri to possibly exceed the deadline for issuing the call if further deliberation is deemed necessary, either to reach a settlement or to create less hostile conditions for the council's initial operations.
Therefore, it seems unlikely that matters will concretize in the days leading up to the beginning of next week, especially since there are two unresolved complexities: the widespread objections to Berri's re-election, for which there is no alternative, and the lack of consensus on the deputy president's name among the proposed candidates Ghassan Hasbani, Elias Bou Saab, and Melhem Khalaf, with the emergence of other names reportedly starting to be discussed in some circles.
