Lebanon delays presidential election session to May 15

Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri has postponed a parliamentary session to elect a new president in the country to May 15. It is the third time for the speaker to delay the parliamentary session due to lack of quorum, Berri's office said in a press release here on Wednesday. Only 75 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. Commenting on the postponement, Samir Geagea, the March 14 candidate and head of the Lebanese Forces party, blasted those members of parliament who had failed to turn up at parliament. "Boycotting the vote is not constitutional. If a deputy chooses not to attend he must have an exceptional excuse," Geagea said in a televised statement.