Middle East: Iranian Foreign Minister calls for the election of a president in Lebanon without further delay

The head of Iranian diplomacy called on Thursday to elect a president without further delay in Lebanon, a country deprived of a head of state for six months, and asked other foreign parties to "not interfere" in the

.

"

" in this country plunged into a deep economic and political crisis, declared Hossein Amir-Abdollahian after a meeting with his Lebanese counterpart Abdallah Bou Habib.

We will support any agreement reached by all Lebanese parties regarding the election.

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Iranian Minister of Foreign Affairs

The Iranian minister considered that the Lebanese political class, deeply divided between the pro-Iranian Hezbollah camp and its adversaries, had "the

" for the election of a president.

"

said. .

Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, whose second visit to Lebanon since the beginning of the year, must meet with the main leaders of the country before going to Damascus.

During his visits to Beirut, he also usually meets the secretary general of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah.

Parliament -- where neither the Hezbollah camp nor its opponents hold a clear majority -- has not met since January 19, after 11 sessions that failed to elect a president.

The mandate of President Michel Aoun expired on October 31, 2022.

Read alsoThe keys to understanding why Lebanon is looking for a president

A Maronite Christian President

The powerful Hezbollah supports the candidacy of former minister Sleiman Frangié, an ally of the powerful Shiite formation and close to the Syrian regime, but Sleiman Frangié does not however have a sufficient number of votes to be elected.

With its supporters, Hezbollah had paralyzed the action of Parliament for more than two years to impose the election of Michel Aoun, their ally, in 2016. Under the confessional system of power sharing, which has long been in force in Lebanon, the presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian.

During a television interview on Wednesday evening, Sleiman Frangié said he had recently met in Paris with an adviser to President Emmanuel Macron, Patrick Durel, who asked him what his program would be.

“

,” assured Sleiman Frangié during this interview.

According to the Lebanese media, France supports the candidacy of Sleiman Frangié.

Paris nevertheless assured last week "

".