Azour says won't challenge any sect, would rather work for unity

International Monetary Fund official Jihad Azour, who has been nominated for the long-vacant Lebanese presidency, said Monday that his nomination is not aimed at challenging anyone but is rather a call for unity and breaking alignments.

On Sunday, the Shiite Duo's candidate Suleiman Franjieh said that Azour is the son of the establishment as he had served as a finance minister in the Fouad Saniora's government from 2005 to 2008.

"I don't hail from a storied dynasty and I don't have a partisan experience," Azour said. "I do not represent a sect in the face of another," he added.

Lebanon, mired in a crippling economic crisis since late 2019, has been without a president for more than seven months.

The international community has urged Lebanese officials to avoid a prolonged presidential vacuum and enact key reforms required to unlock much-needed IMF loans.

Parliament speaker Nabih Berri has scheduled a new vote on June 14, after 11 failed attempts to elect a new head of state.

On Sunday, 32 Christian and independent legislators endorsed Azour after weeks of negotiations. The Free Patriotic Movement and the Democratic Gathering bloc also said they would support Azour, while Hezbollah and Amal renewed their support for Franjieh.