Lebanon has elected a new president after multiple failed attempts had left the country without a head of state since 2022.
General Joseph Aoun, head of the country’s army since 2017, received the required number of parliamentary votes in the second round of voting on Thursday afternoon.
He is a Maronite Christian, in keeping with religious Lebanon’s power-sharing rules.
Aoun – no relation to the previous president Michel Aoun – has been chief of the Lebanese Army and was the preferred choice of the United States, France and Saudi Arabia, all of whom sent senior delegations to Lebanon in recent days.
He is being seen as key to securing the fragile ceasefire between Israel and Lebanon – the initial sixty-day agreement is due to expire before the end of the month.
Aoun is also regarded as a stabilising figure and trusted by many Lebanese and international partners: His victory is expected to unlock financial assistance from Gulf states to help rebuild parts of the country damaged or destroyed during the war.
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The vote was a key test of the Lebanese political system after Hezbollah, also a significant political party, was dealt heavy blows during the fighting, and Aoun’s election is a sign of how weakened the group and its backer Iran now are.
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If Aoun can successfully secure international support and help rebuild Beirut’s suburbs and southern towns and villages, it could weaken Hezbollah further.
Hezbollah’s candidate Suleiman Frangieh withdrew from the running on Wednesday night and backed Aoun.
Aoun ordered the military to stay on the sidelines of the recent war between Israel and Hezbollah and will now need to oversee the deployment of Lebanese Armed Forces into southern Lebanon in accordance with the ceasefire agreement.
Although Hezbollah has refrained from firing missiles into Israel since the truce came into force, the IDF has carried out strikes against Hezbollah positions, including a drone strike on a vehicle suspected of carrying weapons for the group in southern Lebanon earlier today.
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Aoun’s appointment comes as neighbouring Syria also undergoes political change after the downfall of Bashar al Assad.
