Lebanon parliament speaker says no presidential vote without IMF laws

FILE PHOTO: Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri holds a legislative session in Beirut, Lebanon July 26, 2022. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanese parliament speaker Nabih Berri said on Saturday he would not call for a session to elect a new president until the legislature passes reforms that are preconditions for an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout.

An IMF deal is seen as the only way for Lebanon to recover from a financial meltdown that has plunged the country into its most destabilising crisis since the 1975-90 civil war.