Berri re-elected speaker of Lebanon parliament

By Wassim Saif al-Din

BEIRUT

Lebanon’s newly-elected parliament on Wednesday re-elected Shia politician Nabih Berri as speaker of the new assembly.

Berri won the votes of 98 MPs of the 128-member parliament.

Berri, the leader of the Shia Amal Movement, ran unopposed for the post, reserved for Shias under the Taif agreement that ended Lebanon’s civil war.

This was the sixth time for Berri to be elected as speaker of the Lebanese parliament since 1992.

Wednesday’s parliament session was the first since Lebanese voters cast ballot in the May 6 general election, Lebanon’s first since 2009.