Boycott creates political deadlock in Lebanon

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNN) -- Just hours before President Emile Lahoud was scheduled to leave office, an opposition boycott has kept Lebanon's parliament from choosing his successor.

Speaker Nabih Berri said in a statement that the session was postponed for a week until Nov. 30 to give more time "for additional consultations to reach a consensus on electing a president," according to the Associated Press.

The AP reports that the opposition-aligned Berri made the decision 30 minutes after the legislature failed to muster the necessary two-thirds quorum to begin voting. It followed consultations with leaders of the parliamentary majority.

Lahoud's presidential term is set to end Friday at midnight (5 p.m. ET).

Pro- and anti-Syrian lawmakers have yet to agree on a compromise candidate to replace the pro-Syrian Lahoud.

The Syrian- and Iranian-backed opposition has suggested it might form a rival government.

Failure to settle on a candidate could lead to a power vacuum -- or worse. The army and other security forces were on full alert as the nation braced itself for possible violence.

The country's recent history includes near-constant factional fighting, political maneuvering and friction with Syria.

The election has been overshadowed by assassinations and attempted assassinations of anti-Syrian politicians.

In February 2005, the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri in Beirut sparked widespread protests that led to the ouster of Syrian forces from Lebanon.

U.N. investigators concluded last year that Hariri's death may be linked to high-ranking Syrian officials. Syria has denied any involvement in the killings and said the U.N. tribunal investigating Hariri's death is a violation of its sovereignty.

In the past two years, four members of the Lebanese parliament have been assassinated. Watch how Lebanon got into this bind »

A general who is a powerful Christian leader, backed by Syria and allied with Hezbollah, appeared Thursday on television offering himself as a compromise candidate.

But his offer was rejected by the Western-backed majority led by Saad Hariri, son of the assassinated prime minister.

For the past few weeks, top-level mediators from France, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and other countries have been trying unsuccessfully to break the deadlock.

The foreign ministers of France, Italy and Spain issued a statement saying they have tried everything, and it is now up to the Lebanese to craft a solution.

Lebanese presidents are elected by the National Assembly for a six-year term and may not serve consecutive terms, according to the CIA Factbook. Lahoud was elected in 1998, the reference book says, and in 2004 the National Assembly voted to extend his six-year term by three years. E-mail to a friend

All About Lebanon • Syria • Hezbollah