Army chief elected Lebanon’s president

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

The election of Joseph Aoun was supported by several political parties, as well as the US, France and Saudi Arabia.

An enemy with the support of the Hezbollah militia withdrew on Wednesday and acknowledged the official.

Leadership is a traditional role reserved for the Christian under the power sharing system.

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

The Lebanese army has not taken part in the conflict and has a key role in the cease-fire agreement, which requires it to send troops to southern Lebanon as Israeli forces withdraw and ensure Hezbollah disarms by 26 January.

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

During this time, he led the organization through the major crisis affecting Lebanon.

They include the 13-month Hezbollah-Israeli war, a six-year economic crisis that is one of the worst in modern times, and the 2020 Beirut port bombings that killed more than 200 people.

Lebanon has maintained a functioning government since the last parliamentary elections in May 2022.

Prime Minister Najib Mikati was unable to find support for a new cabinet before the end of President Michel Aoun’s term in October, leaving his administration with little power.

Lawmakers failed to elect a new president 12 times. The last time was in June 2023, when no one got enough votes to win the first round Hezbollah and its partner Amal blocked the second round by exiting.

A Lebanese presidential candidate can usually be elected in the first round if he receives 2-3 votes – or 86 votes – in the 128-seat parliament, or with a majority in the second round. However, Speaker Nabih Berri said Aoun needed a two-thirds majority because he is a military commander.

In the first round on Thursday morning, 71 lawmakers voted for Aoun, 15 short of what they wanted. A further 37 lawmakers – most of whom are said to be from Hezbollah and Amal – cast blank votes, while 20 votes were declared invalid.

Berri, who is Amal’s leader, postponed the meeting until the evening, sparking anger among lawmakers who wanted the second round to be held immediately.

In the end, Aoun was elected president after receiving 99 votes in the second round, easily achieving the two-thirds required. Nine MPs cast blank votes, in addition to 18 invalid votes.

As soon as the result was announced by the speaker, TV stations showed celebrations around the country.

Aoun was later shown arriving at the parliament building in a suit and then went through security before entering the chamber to be sworn in.