Ad nauseam, ad infinitum. For the 8th time, the Lebanese parliament has postponed electing a president. The many factions had agreed on choosing Gen. Michel Suleiman to replace Emil Lahoud, but it has hit many, many snags. For one, the Lebanese constitution forbids high-ranking state employees from becoming President, so Suleiman will have to resign or the Constitution will have to be amended. The constitution allows for that, but the opposition parties (notably Hezbollah) are opposed to that. That link, from the excellent Daily Star, also describes in detail what the postponement is all about- essentially each side trying to get the most out of a comprehensive agreement on the shape of the next government. For a good look at why things are so chaotic, read the latest entry in Michael Young's blog. It is fairly dizzying. Hassan Naffa has a good article about Lebanon being the testing-ground of the Arab World in last week's al-Ahram, and how the crisis “is not a constitutional one; it is one of consensus or, more accurately, the lack thereof.”
