Lebanese political heavyweights held talks Wednesday a day ahead of a parliamentary session to elect a president, but even with key player Hezbollah weakened by war, there is no guarantee of consensus.

The tiny Mediterranean country, already deep in economic and political crisis, has been without a president for more than two years amid bitter divisions between Shiite Muslim group Hezbollah and its opponents.

Army chief Joseph Aoun, 60, is widely seen as the frontrunner, with backers of his candidacy saying he might be the man to oversee the rapid deployment of the military in south Lebanon.

Under the terms of a November 27 ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah, the powerful movement is to pull its fighters away from areas near the border, leaving only the national army to deploy there.

But some parties still appear reluctant to back the army chief in the 13th attempt to choose a new leader since the term of the last president, Michel Aoun, ended in October 2022.

While their family names are identical, Joseph Aoun and Michel Aoun are not related.

In a country still scarred by a 1975-1990 civil war, the divided ruling class usually agrees on a candidate before any successful parliamentary vote is held.

After a year of........

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