Lebanon postpones presidential vote until January 7

Lawmakers Wednesday botched a 34th attempt to elect a new head of state, prompting Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri to adjourn the vote until Jan. 7.

Reminiscent of the previous 33 sessions, MPs failed to choose a president over a lack of quorum.

Only 45 legislators showed up for the midday session at Parliament headquarters in Downtown Beirut. The legal quorum requires the presence of 86 lawmakers.

MPs from Michel Aoun’s Change and Reform bloc and Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance bloc have thwarted a quorum since April 2014 by boycotting parliamentary sessions, demanding an agreement beforehand with their March 14 foes over a consensus candidate.

The first election in May achieved quorum, but no candidate received enough votes.

The failure to pick a successor to former President Michel Sleiman has plunged the country into a presidential impasse that has paralyzed Parliament and the Cabinet.