Lebanon's parliament on Thursday elected Nabih Berri as speaker for the coming four years, extending his 17-year leadership of the chamber in a vote that underlined improved ties between rival politicians. Berri, an ally of the military and political movement Hezbollah, stood uncontested for the post, reserved for a Shia Muslim according to a sectarian power-sharing system.
Ninety of parliament's 128 members voted for the 71-year old, including the Future Movement of Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri, one of Berri's main opponents during a crisis that pushed Lebanon to the brink of civil war last year. Hariri's "March 14" coalition won a parliamentary majority in a June 7 election, defeating a rival alliance including Berri's Amal movement and Hezbollah, which between them dominate Shia representation in Lebanon.