BEIRUT: Speaker Nabih Berri Wednesday postponed a presidential election session to Feb. 18 after lawmakers botched an 18th attempt to elect a new head of state due to lack of consensus.

Lebanon has been without a president since last May when Michel Sleiman’s term ended with MPs failing to elect a successor.

Lawmakers from the Hezbollah-led March 8 coalition have boycotted the election sessions. Quorum was met during the first legislative session to elect a president in April, but no candidate received enough votes to win.