Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday, January 9, ending a two-year leadership vacuum amidst the country’s severe financial crisis.
Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday, arrived at parliament in a dark suit and bright blue tie, departing from his military uniform. He received applause as he took the oath of office, declaring, “A new phase in the history of Lebanon begins today.”
Celebrations erupted in his hometown of Aishiyeh in southern Lebanon, where residents gathered near the church adorned with Lebanese flags and Aoun’s portrait. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Aoun’s victory after 99 out of 128 lawmakers voted in his favor.
As Lebanon’s new president, Aoun faces daunting challenges, including maintaining a ceasefire on the Israeli border and appointing a prime minister capable of enacting reforms critical to securing international financial aid.
He is Lebanon’s fifth army commander to ascend to the presidency and the fourth consecutive one. Under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, the president must be a Maronite Christian, a criterion that also applies to military chiefs.
The presidency had been vacant since Michel Aoun, unrelated to the new president, left office in October 2022. Political gridlock between Hezbollah and its opponents had derailed over a dozen attempts to elect a successor.
International pressure intensified with just 17 days remaining in a ceasefire agreement requiring Lebanese troop deployment alongside UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon following a conflict between Hezbollah and Israel last autumn.
Although the president’s powers have diminished since Lebanon’s civil war ended in 1990, the role remains crucial for appointing a prime minister and forming a government capable of implementing economic reforms.
Aoun was widely viewed as a preferred candidate of the United States, a key military ally, and Saudi Arabia.
However, lawmakers from the pro-Hezbollah bloc abstained during the first round of voting, preventing Aoun from securing the two-thirds majority required. After a break, they met with Aoun and returned for the second round, where he garnered enough votes to win.
The election drew significant international attention. Pope Francis expressed hope that Lebanon would achieve “institutional stability… to address the grave economic and social situation.”
However, some lawmakers protested perceived foreign interference by casting symbolic votes for “sovereignty and the constitution” or writing in names like Saudi envoy Yazid Al Farhan and former U.S. presidential candidate Bernie Sanders.
Critics have accused Hezbollah and its allies of obstructing previous presidential elections.
However, the group’s influence has waned after suffering significant losses in last year’s conflict with Israel, including the reported death of its leader, Hassan Nasrallah, in an airstrike.
In Syria, Hezbollah lost another key ally with the recent overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad by rebel forces. Lebanon’s economy has endured over $5 billion in losses from the Hezbollah-Israel conflict, with additional structural damage running into billions, according to the World Bank.
