The end of President Michel Suleiman’s tenure is drawing near, but there is nothing on the horizon that suggests a new president can be quietly and officially elected in accordance with the Lebanese constitution and on the dates set for May 2014. Moreover, given the lack of hope for forming a government that might be able to relieve this tiny country’s administrative state of paralysis, the spotlight has fallen on the current president in an attempt to determine what his next steps might be as Lebanon slowly heads toward a vacuum.

Suleiman does not have many options, but the responsibility entrusted to him is considerable. The post-Taif president does not have absolute powers. For instance, he cannot dissolve the parliament or call for early elections. Moreover, the decree on forming governments requires, in addition to his signature, the signature of the prime minister-designate. That said, the presidency has become the only functioning institution within the paralyzed body of the Lebanese republic, evidenced by the inability to form a government and the quasi-stagnation of the parliament, whose achievements of late have been limited to the renewal of its term and disruption of the judicial branch, in particular, the Constitutional Council because of its deference to the will of political forces.

The most important variable may be that during the twilight of his reign, the president has become less beholden to the necessities of consensus and reconciliation among all political groups and more fixed on the components of national sovereignty. This partly explains the tone he has recently adopted, especially his critical statements regarding Hezbollah’s policies and its military involvement in the war in Syria. At first glance, this escalation may simply seem biased, but a second look shows that the president is trying to restore some balance to the Lebanese political scene, especially after the collapse of the March 14 camp at the feet of Hezbollah’s surplus military power, which has thrown everything off-kilter.

Finding a balance between the political forces and the sects is the golden rule for creating a well-ordered political scenario in a country originally based on diversity and consensus among its components. This is how one must try to understand this presidential repositioning, which is based on an international safety net that emerged during a meeting in New York last fall. Those present agreed on the political principles laid down by Suleiman, especially concerning Baabda Declaration statements on the need for Lebanon to be impartial and steer clear of the policies of the axes and conflicts plaguing the Middle East.