BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament failed to elect a new president during a session on Thursday to choose a successor to current President Michel Aoun, whose term ends on Oct. 31.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced that he will call for a new session when there is consensus on a candidate.

The counting of the ballot papers showed the presence of 63 blank papers, while the Christian politician Michel Moawad received the support of 36 out of the 122 deputies who attended the session.

It seems that the absence of consensus on a candidate will mean that the post of president will remain vacant when Aoun's term ends, at a time when Lebanon is suffering from a severe financial crisis.

He has previously vacated the post of president several times since the 1975-1990 civil war. It should be noted that this position is dedicated to a Maronite Christian figure in the Lebanese confessional system.

In anticipation of a presidential vacuum, politicians are intensifying their efforts to form a new government led by Sunni Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is currently heading a caretaker government, so that presidential powers can be transferred to it until a president is agreed upon.