
The Lebanese presidency is set to fall vacant on Oct. 31 unless the main powerbrokers can strike a deal on the election of a successor to Michel Aoun, raising the prospect of a vacuum at a time of deep financial crisis.
Reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian system, the presidency has been left empty several times since the 1975-90 civil war. What makes electing a president so difficult, what's at stake, and who are the candidates?