Parliament on Thursday failed for a third time to elect a successor to President Michel Aoun, stoking fears of a political vacuum after his mandate expires at the end of the month.

In a first round, fifty-five MPs cast blank votes and MP Michel Mouawad received 42 votes. 21 ballots were annulled, including votes for "The New Lebanon" by the Change MPs.

Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil on Wednesday said he is against amending the constitution in order elect Army chief Joseph Aoun as president, as he warned that there will be “more than social and constitutional chaos if a new government is not formed” before the end of President Michel Aoun’s term.

The members of the U.N. Security Council on Wednesday commended the announcements that Lebanon and Israel have agreed to end their dispute over their maritime boundary and delineate it permanently.

"This is a major step, which will contribute to the stability, the security, and the prosperity of the region," the Council said in a press statement.

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea accused Wednesday the so-called Axis of Defiance of obstructing the election of a new president.

"The Axis of Defiance is directly responsible for any vacuum that could occur after October 31," Geagea said.

General Security chief Maj. Gen. Abbas Ibrahim and Hezbollah coordination and liaison officer Wafiq Safa met Wednesday in Sin el-Fil with Free Patriotic Movement chief Jebran Bassil, MTV reported.

“The meeting, which lasted around an hour and was followed by a several-minute meeting between Ibrahim and Safa, tackled the governmental file and the efforts aimed at forming a government prior to the end of President Michel Aoun’s term,” the TV network added.

Caretaker Health Minister Firass Abiad announced Wednesday that cholera is rapidly spreading among Syrian refugees in Lebanon while warning that cases are on the rise among Lebanese citizens.

“We all know that the issue of water and the means to provide clean water are important as to the issue of the spread of cholera and we are doing efforts in this regard,” Abiad said at a press conference.

MP Ibrahim Mneimneh has snapped back at his colleague in the Change bloc MP Mark Daou over the elections of the parliamentary committees that took place on Tuesday.

“These remarks are inaccurate. Out of respect for fellowship, I won’t say more than this,” Mneimneh said, in response to a tweet by Daou.

U.S. energy mediator Amos Hochstein will visit Beirut next week to submit a U.S.-signed demarcation proposal, Deputy Speaker Elias Bou Saab said.

Last week, Lebanon and Israel said they agreed on the terms of the U.S.-mediated deal over a maritime border dispute involving offshore gas fields.

The Trade and Investment Facilitation (TIF) Project, funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), on Tuesday launched an energy audit program in partnership with the Michel Daher Social Foundation (MDSF) for industrial facilities in Lebanon’s Bekaa region.

The 16-month long program will support 17 Bekaa manufacturers to optimize efficiency of energy consumption through conservation measures and renewable energy solutions. The partnership will include training on renewable energy technologies, along with an extensive on-site and off-site energy audit program that will identify three types of Energy Conservation Measures (ECMs). USAID, through TIF, will then support industrialists in implementing appropriate solutions to identify energy inefficiencies including the installation of renewable energy solutions.

MP Michel Douaihy on Tuesday announced his withdrawal from the reformist, 13-member Change bloc, citing disagreements within the nascent grouping of MPs.

“I’m permanently outside the 13-member Change bloc in its current format. I support turning the bloc into a monthly (or according to need) consultative gathering, while granting a margin of freedom to all MPs in all issues,” Douaihy tweeted.