Lebanese parliament confirms election date as March 27

Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri holds a parliamentary session at UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Lebanon October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday voted to hold legislative elections on March 27, parliamentary sources told Reuters.

The earlier than usual date - elections were originally expected to be held in May - was being debated in order not to clash with the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan.

It means Prime Minister Najib Mikati's government has just a few months left in office as it tries to agree a financial recovery plan with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) amidst a deepening economic meltdown.

Head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc Mohamed Raad, accompanied by his parliamentary bloc, arrives to attend a parliamentary session at UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Lebanon October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Once a new parliament is elected, the Mikati cabinet will only act in a caretaker role until a new prime minister is given a vote of confidence and tasked with forming a new government.

(Reporting by Maha El Dahan and Laila Bassam; additional reporting by Lilian Wagdy in Cairo; Editing by Alison Williams)

Lebanese members of Parliament attend a parliamentary session at UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Lebanon October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher

Lebanese Prime Minister Najib Mikati gestures as he attends a parliamentary session at UNESCO Palace in Beirut, Lebanon October 19, 2021. REUTERS/Aziz Taher