BEIRUT (Reuters) - Lebanon's parliament failed for the third time on Thursday to elect a new president, drawing the country closer to the specter of a vacuum in the highest Christian position in government and a broader crisis in the state's legitimacy.

119 parliamentarians out of 128 deputies attended the half-hour plenary session on Thursday. Election rules require a quorum of two-thirds of members of the politically divided parliament, meaning no party or coalition can impose its choice.

The counting of the ballot papers showed that there were 55 blank sheets of paper, while the Christian politician Michel Moawad received 42 support, and the remaining votes carried political slogans, including "a just dictator."

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri set the next session for October 24.

He has previously vacated the post of president several times since the 1975-1990 civil war. Anticipating another vacuum, the politicians intensified their efforts to agree on a new government headed by the designated Sunni Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is currently serving as the caretaker prime minister, as presidential powers could be transferred to the new government.

President Michel Aoun's term ends on October 31, while divisions remain between the political blocs over the formation of the new government.