Lebanon’s Mikati calls for ‘political will’ to elect new president

By Stephanie Radi

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AA) - Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati said Saturday that "political will" is required to end an impasse on the election of a new president.

"What is needed first and foremost is the political will of various political forces and blocs to complete the formation of constitutional institutions by electing a new president as soon as possible," Mikati said at a press conference in Beirut.

He said Lebanon is facing a suffocating crisis reflected in all aspects of life, calling for making required "reform laws" before moving to a final agreement with the International Monetary Fund to achieve the "promised economic recovery."

On Thursday, Lebanese lawmakers failed for the eighth time to elect a new president.

Former President Michel Aoun left office on Oct. 31 after completing a six-year term, without lawmakers agreeing on a successor.

Since 2019, Lebanon has been facing a crippling economic crisis that, according to the World Bank, is one of the worst the world has seen in modern times.

The country has been without a fully functioning government since May, with Mikati and his Cabinet having limited powers in their current caretaker status.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara​​​​​​​