BEIRUT—Lebanon's parliament is unlikely to elect a new president on Friday in the last few hours before the pro-Syrian incumbent's term ends because rival camps have failed to clinch a deal, despite French-led mediation.
Political sources said pro- and anti-Syrian factions had not yet agreed on a consensus candidate to replace Damascus-backed President Emile Lahoud, who leaves office at midnight on Friday.
"Chances of a deal are very slim in the coming hours and it's highly unlikely that there would be a vote tomorrow," said a source who asked not to be identified. Another source agreed.
"There are early indications that the session will not be held tomorrow," opposition MP Michel al-Murr said earlier.
The election has already been postponed four times. Failure to choose a president within the constitutional deadline could lead to competing administrations and possible violence.
The United States and its local allies blame Syria for the deadlock. Hezbollah and its Christian allies say the U.S.-backed majority wants to keep them from their rightful share in power.
Lebanon, already mired in its worst political crisis since the 1975-90 civil war, marked its independence day on Thursday gripped by anxiety about the presidential election.
"Last day before zero hour: either a miracle or vacuum," headlined the An-Nahar daily, which backs the anti-Syrian ruling coalition of Sunni, Druze and Christian factions.
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, who has shuttled between fractious Lebanese politicians since Sunday, pursued his mission, along with Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos.
Italian Foreign Minister Massimo D'Alema flew into Beirut to join the last-ditch European effort.
Security Stepped up
Troops and police tightened security in Beirut ahead of the scheduled parliamentary session. There was no military parade or other key events to mark the 64th anniversary of independence.
The opposition has said it won't go to parliament without prior agreement on a candidate, who must be a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system.
The ruling coalition holds only a slim majority and the opposition says the vote requires two thirds of the MPs.
If no president is elected, the outgoing Lahoud has vowed to take unspecified measures to guarantee Lebanon's unity. These could include handing power to the army, rather than to the existing government of Prime Minister Fouad Siniora.
Lahoud and the opposition say Siniora's government lost its legitimacy when all its Shi'ite ministers resigned last year.
The majority bloc argues that Siniora's government would automatically take over presidential powers until a new head of state can be elected. Some of its members favor using their majority to pick a president in the absence of a deal.
"We are still hopeful of reaching a consensus," said Mohammad Raad, head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc.
"If (Lahoud's) term ends without consensus, the opposition will take its rolling measures in response to those of the other side," he told reporters after meeting the president, without revealing the well-armed Shi'ite group's plans.
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