UN Security Council to issue statement over Lebanon’s presidential elections

The United Nations Security Council is expected to issue a statement over the Lebanese presidential elections on Tuesday night.      

The UNSC is likely to express regret over the Parliament’s failure to elect a new president within the constitutional deadline, and will call for the election of a new head of state the soonest possible.         

Lebanon officially entered presidential vacuum on Saturday midnight after the six-year term of former President Michel Sleiman expired.    

This comes after lawmakers failed for the fifth time to choose a successor to the head of state. The impasse highlights the stark political divisions in the country.      

Sleiman said on Saturday that dialogue was the only way to overcome deep divisions in a country that is struggling to cope with political and security problems as a direct consequence of the Syrian conflict.