BEIRUT, May 23 (Xinhua) -- The newly-elected Lebanese parliament on Wednesday re-elected Nabih Berri as speaker.
Out of the 128 members of the parliament, 98 voted for Berri who has been holding the post since 1992 while 30 abstained.
Lebanon held its first parliamentary elections in nine years on May 6.
The new parliament witnessed the departure of 79 MPs while only 49 MPs maintain their seats.
There are six female members in the new parliament compared with four in the previous one.
Lebanon has long been sticking to a power-sharing pact among its coexisting religions, which stipulates that the president should be a Christian Maronite, the parliament speaker a Muslim Shiite, and the premier a Muslim Sunni.
After being elected, Speaker Berri thanked in a speech the parliament members for the "renewed confidence which increases my responsibility to preserve this council and all of Lebanon."
"The parliament has always been actively present in the face of terrorism and protecting the country's borders. It has taken steps, along with the government, to shun threats away from Lebanon and its people," Berri added.
Meanwhile, the parliament elected Elie Ferzli as deputy speaker.
Ferzli got 80 votes against his fellow lawmaker Anis Nassar who got 32 votes. Ferzli, who was absent from the last parliament, regained his seat in parliament and was elected as deputy speaker, a post he held for 9 years from 1996 to 2005.
Following the meeting, Berri announced that President Michel Aoun will begin consultations with MPs to nominate a new prime minister on Thursday.
According to the constitution, following the general election, the cabinet in place is considered caretaker government until a new cabinet is formed.
Aoun tasked Prime Minister Saad Hariri on Monday's cabinet meeting with the caretaker duties until the formation of a new cabinet.
