"We need a president of the republic who functions in harmony with the choice of his resistant people and who can preserve the state's sovereignty…," Mohammad Raad, the head of the parliamentary bloc of Hezbollah resistance group, said on Monday.
Lebanon needs a president who can preserve the sovereignty of the nation, “not a president who would work to maintain sovereignty according to international and regional stock exchange,” Raad added.
"Lebanon, through coordination between its resistance and the Lebanese army and people, would be able to preserve its existence,” he noted.
The Lebanese parliament delayed voting on the country’s next president over differences among lawmakers during their second attempt to pick a successor to President Michel Sleiman on April 30.
The Lebanese official National News Agency said that parliament speaker, Nabih Berri, “has set the date of May 7 as a new date to hold a parliamentary session, given the lack of quorum on Wednesday [April 30]."
The vote was called off after dozens of lawmakers boycotted the election due to political differences.
Parliament members backed by Hezbollah refused to attend the session. Only 47 of the parliament's 128 members attended.
A candidate must receive two thirds of the votes, meaning at least 86 votes, in order to win.
Deputies are faced with a choice between Samir Geagea, an opponent of the Syrian government and Hezbollah resistance movement, and former army commander Michel Aoun.
On April 23, the parliament failed to elect a new leader during its first attempt because out of the parliament’s total 128 members, 52 submitted blank ballots.
Lebanon's presidential vote has been overshadowed by the deadly foreign-sponsored unrest spilling over into the country from neighboring Syria.
Syria has been gripped by deadly violence since 2011. Over 150,000 people have reportedly been killed and millions displaced due to the violence fueled by Western-backed militants.
According to reports, the Western powers and their regional allies -- especially Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey -- are supporting the militants operating inside Syria.
BA/BA