The third presidential elections session was held today. 55 blank votes were cast during the first round of voting, 42 votes were cast for Michel Mouawad, 17 for "New Lebanon," one for Milad Abou Malhab and four ballots were disqualified from the vote.

Once again, Lawmakers failed to elect a president, which reflects the lack of unity among the ruling system, and it was clear that they agreed to cast blank votes. As for the opposition, part of it came to elect a president with determined and clear project, while the other part could not choose a name. This forms an obstacle towards change instead of unifying the ranks of opposition in a bid to elect a rescue president and avoid presidential vacuum.

Following the third session, Kataeb Lawmaker Elias Hankach noted that his party was holding discussions with all parliamentary blocs, saying that it is ready to communicate in hope to gather more votes for one presidential candidate in the fourth session.

“We are getting closer to danger which is presidential vacuum in a collapsed country. This is harmful for the Lebanese and the country,” Hankach said in an interview with Kataeb.org.

He hoped that the other party do not block the presidential elections sessions so that would lead to lack of quorum next Monday.

“This party is the one who disrupted the country for two years and a half,” he said, calling upon this party to stay in the Parliament until the election of a new rescue president.

Regarding the lack of quorum in the next session, Hankach pointed out: “We will keep in touch with the opposition to gather more votes for one presidential candidate, and to secure quorum.”

“Today, the other party’s actions prove its will for presidential vacuum. It is exerting its utmost effort to form a government that would control this vacuum,” he concluded.

This article was originally published in Arabic in Kataeb.org, translated by Christina Rai & Sara Bilen.