BEIRUT: Lebanese lawmakers re-elected Nabih Berri as parliament speaker on Tuesday for a seventh consecutive term, cementing his reputation as an immovable centerpiece of the country’s political landscape.

Berri’s candidacy went largely unchallenged but the 84-year-old clinched only the bare minimum number of votes needed for a win — one of his lowest counts since he first rose to the helm of parliament 30 years ago.

Some lawmakers spoilt their ballots by writing slogans blaming the ruling class that Berri embodies for the successive crises that have hit Lebanon, from the 2020 Beirut port explosion to political assassinations and an ongoing economic meltdown.

“I will put the insults behind me... and approach blank ballots with a blank heart,” Berri said after his victory, in one of his trademark quips.

He said he would extend his hand to all lawmakers so that, together, they can streamline overdue reforms and facilitate the appointment of a prime minister and a new president.

“The Lebanese, and the rest of world, are looking to you as a beacon of hope, possibly the only one,” Berri told lawmakers. “We all live if Lebanon lives.” Aged 84, the warlord-turned-politician is one of the longest-serving chiefs of any parliament in the world.

An ally of the powerful Hezbollah, Berri has weathered decades of turbulence and shifting political tides, including the current economic crisis and a 2019 protest movement demanding wholesale political reform.

Even after parliamentary elections in May yielded modest but unprecedented gains for independent candidates, Berri’s position remained largely unchallenged.

He clinched a new four-year term during parliament’s opening session on Tuesday with the votes of just 65 of parliament’s 128 members. That was down from the 98 votes he secured in 2018. Opponents spoilt their ballots with a variety of political slogans.

Published in Dawn, June 1st, 2022