French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian left Beirut on Thursday without his efforts succeeding in convincing political forces to agree on electing a president, while the country has been in a deadlock since the vacancy of the position a year and a half ago.
A French diplomatic source told Agence France-Presse that Le Drian, who met with major political forces in Lebanon, including Hezbollah, the most prominent political force in the country, "did not achieve any notable breakthrough" in the presidential issue.
The source, who preferred to remain anonymous, added that "each party is holding on to its positions," which led Le Drian to warn the officials he met that "the very political existence of Lebanon is at risk," as the divide in the country continues.
Since the end of former President Michel Aoun’s term at the end of October 2022, Parliament has failed 12 times to elect a president, as no party holds a clear majority in Parliament to secure the election of its candidate amidst a deepening political division between Hezbollah and its allies on one side and their opponents on the other.
The escalation across the border between Hezbollah and Israel, ongoing since the start of the war in Gaza between the Israeli state and Hamas on October 7, intensifies the political division, while the country is already deeply mired in a prolonged economic crisis.
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