Lebanon's international backers say 'unsustainable' status quo is paralysing state

FILE PHOTO: Protesters carry flags near the entrance leading to parliament building, in support of independent lawmakers who are staging a sit-in at parliament to pile pressure on dominant factions to elect a new president, in Beirut, Lebanon January 20, 2023. REUTERS/Aziz Taher/File Photo

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's ongoing presidential vacuum is cause for grave concern, the country's international backers said on Thursday, describing the current political situation as "unsustainable."

Lebanon is in an unprecedented crisis, with no president since Michel Aoun's term ended on Oct. 31, parliament struggling to pass laws and a caretaker cabinet with restricted powers.