Beirut, LEBANON — Lebanon’s parliament has elected the US-backed army chief to be the country’s new president, ending a years-long political stalemate and presidential vacuum.
Army chief Joseph Aoun was voted president after two rounds of voting. This came after a robust efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States to rally support for Aoun, who is close to Washington and Riyadh.
After he was declared president, Aoun effectively stepped down as army chief. He arrived in parliament to be sworn in dressed in civilian clothing.
In his acceptance speech, Aoun hailed the dawn of a “new era” in Lebanon, vowing to disentangle the country from its myriad economic and political crises. He also made a rare promise to “monopolize weapons” under the mandate of the state, a clear allusion to the arsenal of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is the best armed militant group in the Middle East, and until a devastating war with Israel last fall, wielded influence across at least three countries.
The heavy blows dealt by Israel during the conflict, coupled with the downfall of its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, severely weakened Hezbollah, reviving a long-standing domestic debate about the group’s disarmament.
The US-brokered ceasefire agreement signed on November 27 also stipulates that Hezbollah must withdraw from the border region with Israel, further undermining its military position. Israeli forces are also required to leave Lebanese territory by the end of January under the terms of the agreement.
The Lebanese army did not participate in the all-out war with Israel but is a key player in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement.
“The Lebanese state – I repeat the Lebanese state – will get rid of the Israeli occupation,” Aoun said his speech. The new president also raised the specter of a Lebanese “defensive strategy” against Israel – officially classified as an enemy state – without Hezbollah. The armed group was long considered the de facto military force tasked with fighting Israel.
“My era will include the discussion of our defensive strategy to enable the Lebanese state to get rid of the Israeli occupation and to retaliate against its aggression,” said Aoun.
Lebanon had been without a president since the end of the tenure of former President Michel Aoun – who is not related to Joseph Aoun – in October 2022. The former president was backed by Iran-supported Hezbollah. Negotiations over his successor were unsuccessful, reinvigorating tensions between the country’s pro-Western and pro-Iranian camps.
Prior to Thursday’s parliamentary sessions, there were 12 failed attempts to elect a president over the last two years.
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc said they had cast their ballots for Aoun during the second round of voting to promote “national cohesion,” but withheld their votes during the first round to “send a message.”
“We wanted to send a message… that we are protectors of sovereignty,” head of the Hezbollah bloc Mohammad Raad told reporters. Aoun won by 99 parliamentary votes out of 128 in the second round of votes.
As part of the tiny eastern Mediterranean country’s confessional power-sharing system, Lebanon’s president is typically a Maronite Christian.
• Report by Tamara Qiblawi, CNN
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