Beirut (Agencies): In a significant political development, Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun has been elected as the new president of Lebanon, ending over two years of political deadlock. Aoun, who is backed by the United States, will now face the challenging task of overseeing a struggling economy and maintaining a delicate ceasefire between Israel and the Hezbollah paramilitary group.
Aoun initially failed to secure a majority in the first round of voting on Thursday but clinched the presidency in the second round with 99 votes, a comfortable majority in Lebanon’s 128-seat parliament. Under Lebanon’s religious power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian.
Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, when Michel Aoun—no relation to the army chief—resigned amid spiraling inflation, anti-government protests, and the aftermath of a devastating explosion at the Beirut port two years earlier. Sectarian divisions had repeatedly hampered attempts to choose a successor, leaving acting President Najib Mikati in office as a placeholder while Hezbollah assumed many state functions.
Support from Hezbollah-aligned politicians was crucial for Aoun’s election. His victory came a day after Hezbollah-backed candidate Suleiman Frangieh withdrew from the race and endorsed the army chief. Hezbollah had joined Hamas’ war against Israel in October 2023, leading to a low-intensity conflict with the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) along the ‘blue line’ separating Lebanon from Israel and the occupied Golan Heights.
The conflict escalated in September when Israel began bombarding Hezbollah strongholds in Beirut’s southern suburbs. By November, dozens of Hezbollah’s top commanders had been killed in Israeli airstrikes. A ceasefire was signed in late November, under which Hezbollah agreed to withdraw from southern Lebanon between the blue line and the Litani River, leaving only Aoun’s forces and UN peacekeepers to deploy in the area. The ceasefire is set to expire in 17 days.
At a meeting in Qatar last month, Aoun secured the backing of Doha. Visits by envoys from the US, France, and Saudi Arabia in recent weeks gave lawmakers the “strong impression” that his candidacy was supported by Washington and its allies.