BEIRUT—Lebanese President Emile Lahoud ordered the army to take charge of security on Friday after political rivalry blocked the election of his successor, hours before he was due to step down.
The Lebanese parliament failed on Friday to grasp its last chance to elect a head of state before pro-Syrian Lahoud's term expires at midnight (2200 GMT). The speaker of parliament asked members to meet again next Friday for another attempt.
The move leaves the country in political vacuum with rivals claiming to be the legitimate power.
A presidential statement repeated Lahoud's view that the existing cabinet led by Western-backed Prime Minister Fouad Siniora was illegitimate. The constitution stipulates that the serving government takes on presidential powers until a new head of state is elected.
A government source said Lahoud's move was unconstitutional and worthless. Siniora's cabinet says it will assume presidential powers until a new president is elected.
Despite the claims of rival factions, there was no sign that the conflict would lead to violence soon. The army had deployed in central Beirut overnight for the parliament session.
Lahoud said that "the dangers of a state of emergency exist and have been fulfilled" but experts said the wording fell short of a declaration of a state of emergency.
"(The president) entrusts the army with the authority to maintain security on all Lebanese territory and put all armed forces at its disposal with effect from Nov. 24," Lahoud said in a statement.
Outgoing Lebanese President Emile Lahoud ordered the army to take control of the country's security on Friday after parliament failed to elect his successor, hours before he was due to step down.
Here are five facts about army commander General Michel Suleiman.
* Suleiman, 59, has been army commander since 1998. Since then, Israeli troops withdrew from south Lebanon in 2000, Israel and Hezbollah fought a war in 2006 and the army battled al Qaeda-inspired militants in north Lebanon this year.
* His name had been mentioned as a possible compromise presidential candidate but electing him would have required a constitutional amendment to allow a senior public servant run for office.
* The general has been credited with keeping the army neutral during domestic splits and violence over the past three years. But the anti-Syrian governing coalition does not view him favourably, partly because he did not suppress anti-government street protests which erupted early this year.
* Suleiman gained popularity during the army's 15-week onslaught against Islamist fighters at the Nahr al-Bared Palestinian refugee camp in which more than 420 people died, including 168 soldiers.
* He graduated from the Military Academy in 1970 and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Politics and Administrative Sciences from the Lebanese University. He was commander of the 11th Infantry Brigade between 1993-1996, a time which witnessed two major Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon.
Another prominent opponent of the Siniora government, Christian leader and presidential candidate Michel Aoun, said in a statement the existing cabinet would become a "usurper government" as soon as Lahoud leaves office.
The dispute is between an anti-Syrian parliamentary majority led by the son of assassinated former Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri and an opposition alliance led by the Shi'ite Muslim group Hezbollah, which is backed by Syria and Iran.
The army said it had no comment on Lahoud's statement.
Calls for Calm
The United States and European Union called for calm.
"The United States government commends Lebanon's armed forces and security services for their stated commitment to ensuring law and order," a U.S. State Department spokesman said.
Parliamentary Speaker Nabih Berri, a Shi'ite opposition leader, put off the presidential election vote for a fifth time on Friday because the rival factions were deadlocked.
The delay means the presidency, always held by a Maronite Christian under Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, will be vacant for at least a week. Unless a consensus candidate emerges soon, the country could end up saddled with competing administrations as at the end of its 1975-1990 civil war.
Concern about the political impasse and possible instability pushed the Beirut stock exchange index down 4 percent.
French-led mediation efforts failed to resolve the dispute over the presidency which reflects a regional struggle pitting Washington against Syria and Iran, both allies of Hezbollah.
The United States and its local allies blame Syria for the deadlock. Hezbollah and its Christian partners say the majority bloc wants to keep them from their rightful share of power. They accuse Washington of seeking to control Lebanon.
More than 100 lawmakers from both camps went to parliament in downtown Beirut, but opposition MPs did not enter the assembly chamber in line with a boycott declared a day earlier.
Before announcing the delay, Berri held separate meetings with majority leaders Saad al-Hariri and Walid Jumblatt, a sign the rival camps have not yet burned all their bridges.
"We are for consensus and we will remain for consensus," Hariri said.
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