Beirut is abuzz with the possibility that the Dec. 16 parliamentary session will bring a major breakthrough with the election of a new president, after 32 failed attempts. Almost 18 months have passed since President Michel Suleiman vacated the presidential palace at the close of his tenure May 24, 2014.

The possibility of a successful election is the result of key developments in the positions of some of the relevant political factions, which has reshuffled the deck, to the surprise of many. To grasp the developments, one must know the reasons that have prevented the election of a president for more than a year. 

At the first session convened to elect a president, on April 23, 2014, members of parliament found themselves divided into three camps. The first group, the March 14 coalition, included the Sunni majority led by former Prime Minister Saad Hariri, the Christian minority represented by the Lebanese Forces Party, the Lebanese Kataeb (Phalange) Party and a number of independent Christian MPs, including Boutros Harb and Nicolas Ghosn.

Another camp was the March 8 coalition, comprising the two main Shiite factions, Hezbollah and Amal, along with the smaller Baath Party and the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (SSNP), and the head of the Christian majority, Gen. Michel Aoun.