Lebanon fails to elect new president

The Lebanese parliament has failed for the fifth time to elect a new president of the republic to replace outgoing President Michel Sleiman due to lack of quorum. Speaker of the House of Representatives Nabih Berri adjourned Thursday's Presidential election session due to failure to secure quorum and called for open sessions until the term of President Michel Sleiman ends, the parliament said in a release. Only 73 out of 128 members of parliament were present in the session while the quorum requires the presence of at least 86 members. Lebanon's fiercely divided 128-member legislature, tasked with choosing a new head of state, has been unable to agree on a consensus candidate to replace outgoing President Michel Sleiman, whose five-year term ends on May 25. Source: KUNA