Head of the Mustaqbal bloc MP Fouad Saniora lamented on Friday the parliamentary blocs' failure to elect a new president given the boycott some powers are practicing over the elections sessions.

He said: “No other issues take precedence over the election of a president.” He made his remarks after holding talks with Maronite Patriarch Beshara al-Rahi at Bkirki. “The presidential vacuum is fatal to Lebanon,” he stated, while rejecting attempts to link the elections to regional developments. “No legislative or executive authority in Lebanon is capable of functioning properly due to the vacuum,” noted Saniora after meeting al-Rahi at the head of a delegation. “We should hold the presidential elections as soon as possible,” stressed the former premier to reporters. [Link]