Lebanon-voting

When it comes to electing presidents, the Lebanese prefer to procrastinate.

From today's Times:

Vote Is Postponed as Lebanese President Leaves

By THANASSIS CAMBANIS and NADA BAKRI

BEIRUT, Lebanon, Saturday, Nov. 24 — The departing Lebanese president, Emile Lahoud, asked the military to take charge of the nation’s security on Friday, a few hours after the speaker of Parliament prolonged the country’s political crisis by postponing for a week a vote to choose a new president.

This habit appears to date back to the 1950s:

July 23, 1958

Lebanese Chamber Defers Election of New President

Speaker declares vote is indefinitely postponed--Murphy interviews leaders of the opposition

BEIRUT, Lebanon, July 22--The Lebanese Presidential election due Thursday was postponed indefinitely tonight. This was decided despite efforts by Robert Murphy, special United States envoy, to promote a compromise between the feuding Government and Opposition chiefs.

Two more examples after the jump: