Lebanon postpones local elections by a year to avoid more paralysis

A man walks near the parliament building, in downtown Beirut, Lebanon April 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament on Tuesday voted to extend the terms of municipal councils and other local officials, delaying elections to avoid further political paralysis in a country still in the throes of an economic meltdown.

Lebanon's state institutions are already in a power vacuum, with the presidency empty since Michel Aoun's term expired in October 2022 and no agreement as to who should replace him.