Army chief elected Lebanon’s president after years of deadlock

Lebanon’s parliament has elected the country’s army chief as president, ending more than two years of power vacuum.

Joseph Aoun’s candidacy was supported by several political parties as well as the US, France and Saudi Arabia.

A rival backed by Hezbollah militia retreated on Wednesday and backed the commander.

The presidency is primarily a ceremonial role reserved for a Christian under a denominational power-sharing system.

The election came six weeks after Lebanon’s government agreed to a ceasefire to end the devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, which has significantly weakened the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group.

The Lebanese Army was not involved in the conflict and had a key role under the ceasefire agreement, which required it to deploy troops to southern Lebanon to coincide with the withdrawal of Israeli troops and ensure that Hezbollah ends its armed presence there by 26 January. Give.

Aoun, 60, is a career soldier who has been the army commander since 2017.

During that time, he led the institution during the deep crises affecting Lebanon.

They include the 13-month-long Hezbollah-Israel conflict, a six-year-long economic recession that is the worst recorded in modern times, and the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people.

Lebanon has not had a properly functioning government since the last parliamentary elections in May 2022.

Acting Prime Minister Najib Mikati was unable to garner support for a new Cabinet before then-President Michel Aoun’s term ended in October, reducing his administration’s powers.

After this, MPs failed to elect a new President on 12 occasions. The last time was in June 2023, when no candidate received enough votes to win in the first round, before Hezbollah and its ally Amal pulled out and prevented a second round.

Presidential candidates in Lebanon can usually be elected in the first round if they receive a two-thirds majority – or 86 votes – in the 128-seat parliament, or a simple majority in the second round. However, Speaker Nabih Berri said Aoun needed a two-thirds majority in any round because he was a sitting army commander.

In the first round on Thursday morning, 71 lawmakers voted in favor of Aoun, 15 less than required. Another 37 MPs – many of whom are reportedly from Hezbollah and Amal – cast blank ballots, while 20 ballots were declared invalid.

Berry, who is Amal’s leader, adjourned the session until the afternoon, sparking anger among lawmakers who wanted a second round held immediately.

Ultimately, Aoun was elected president after receiving 99 votes in the second round, easily securing the required two-thirds majority. Apart from 18 illegal ballot papers, nine MPs cast blank ballot papers.

As soon as the results were announced by the speaker, celebrations were seen across the country on TV channels.

Aoun was later shown arriving at the parliament building in a suit and then inspecting guards before entering the chamber to take the oath.