Beirut, March 12 (IANS): The Lebanese parliament failed for the 20th consecutive time on Wednesday to elect a new president owing to a lack of the required constitutional quorum.

Speaker Nabih Berri adjourned the session and called for a new meeting on April 2, after only 54 parliamentarians turned up, according to a Xinhua report. This was short of the quorum of two third of the 128-member parliament, as stipulated by the constitution.

Lebanon has been without a president since May 25, when the six-year term of former President Michel Suleiman ended.

"Political regime is under danger with critical regional developments", member of parliament (MP), Boutros Harb, warned after the session was adjourned. "We will ask the public to move against the current situation, if it persists."

Al Mustaqbal movement MP Ahmad Fatfat lamented that it was the "same parliamentarians who are boycotting the parliament sessions", calling his fellow MPs "to be up to the responsibility and participate in the presidential elections and abide by the democratic results".

Parliamentarian Atef Majdalani accused "a group of deputies disrupting the election of a new president", describing such practices as "wrong and dangerous" as they violated the constitution, blocked the election of a president and obstructed the work of all constitutional institutions.

Lebanon is divided between two rival political camps, namely, the western backed "March 14", with its Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea running for the presidentship, and the Syrian-Iranian backed "March 8" camp backing legislator Michel Aoun for the post.

The centrist Democratic Gathering announced the candidacy of its member parliamentarian Henri Helou as a consensual candidate for the presidentship.