Lebanese lawmakers re-elected on Wednesday Nabih Berri as parliament speaker, a post he has held since 1992.
The 128-seat assembly voted 98 in favor of Berri, with 29 blank ballots and one that was annulled. The newly elected parliament convened Wednesday for the first time after May 6 nationwide balloting. It is Berri's sixth consecutive term; he ran unchallenged.
MP Elie Ferzli was elected as his deputy.
“Your vote of confidence make me keener on preserving the parliament and Lebanon as a whole,” Berri told MPs after securing the vote.
"I extend my sincere thanks, for the sixth time, to the members of parliament for their confidence in renewing my responsibilities as parliament speaker," he said.
He said that the new parliament will focus on combating corruption, achieving decentralized government and approving legal measures to pave the way for oil exploration.
Keeping on Berri as parliament speaker is expected to smooth the way for the formation of a new government in the coming weeks.
Political powers will now shift their attention to the nomination of a prime minister, who will be tasked with forming the government.
These consultations with President Michel Aoun are set to kick off next week.
Current PM Saad Hariri is widely expected to be renamed to the post.
This month’s parliamentary elections were the first in Lebanon since 2009.
