Lebanon: Political parties delay presidential elections
Some Lebanese lawmakers are staying away from parliament on days scheduled to elect a president as the actual President Michel Sleiman’s six-year term in office is set to expire on May 25. The ongoing absenteeism has forced Speaker Nabih Berrito of the parliament to postpone the elections for the third time in a row. The parliament needs two-thirds of its 128 members to reach a quorum. Lebanon exercises a power-sharing formula to promote religious cohesion but there are fears that the stalemate could get out of hands.