Lebanon president vote delayed

By Laila Bassam

BEIRUT (Reuters) - A Lebanese presidential election scheduled for Tuesday was postponed to December 17, the parliament speaker said on Monday, giving rival leaders more time to reach a deal expected to make the army chief president.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced the 8th delay of the election, which has repeatedly been put off since September 25 by differences between the anti-Syrian governing coalition and the opposition backed by Damascus.

The feuding camps agreed last week on General Michel Suleiman as a consensus candidate for the post, which has been vacant since November 24 after the term of Emile Lahoud ended.

But deepening differences over how to amend an article in the constitution that bans a serving public servant from running for office have delayed Suleiman's confirmation.

Neither the governing coalition or the opposition control enough seats in the parliament to guarantee a two-thirds quorum for the election, meaning a deal is needed for the vote to succeed.

Christian opposition leader Michel Aoun told reporters earlier on Monday that he feared the election would not take place before next month, while a senior political source had cited progress towards a deal.

Electing Suleiman would ease Lebanon's worst political crisis since the 1975-1990 civil war. His nomination followed intense French-led mediation to resolve the crisis.

Arab and Western states have expressed concern that a prolonged vacuum in the presidency could further destabilise Lebanon. "No one can surpass all this international will for a compromise in Lebanon," the senior political source said.