Lebanese lawmakers fail in yet another attempt to elect president, end power vacuum

By BASSEM MROUE and KAREEM CHEHAYEB
Associated Press

BEIRUT (AP) — Lebanese lawmakers have failed in yet another attempt to elect a president and break a seven-month power vacuum roiling the country. Wednesday’s session came after 11 previous sessions by the parliament — the last of which was held in January — failed to choose a replacement for President Michel Aoun, an ally of the militant Hezbollah group, whose term ended in late October. But the session broke down after the bloc led by Hezbollah withdrew following the first round of voting, breaking the quorum. Hezbollah’s preferred candidate trailed behind his main rival, a former finance minister and senior official with the International Monetary Fund, in the first round of voting.