Lebanon’s parliament has elected the country’s Army Chief, Joseph Aoun as President, ending a power vacuum that has lasted more than two years.
Aoun, 60, is a career soldier who has been the Army’s Commander since 2017.
Aoun’s candidacy was backed by several political parties, as well as the US, France, and Saudi Arabia.
A rival backed by the Hezbollah militia withdrew on Wednesday and endorsed the Army Commander.
The presidency is a mainly ceremonial role that is reserved for a Christian under a sectarian power-sharing system.
The election took place six weeks after Lebanon’s government agreed to a ceasefire to end a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, which significantly weakened the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group.
The Lebanese Army was not involved in the conflict and has a key role under the ceasefire deal, which requires it to deploy soldiers in Southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw and to ensure Hezbollah ends its armed presence there by 26 January.
During that time, he has led the institution through deep crises that have affected Lebanon.
They include the 13-month Hezbollah-Israel conflict, a six-year-long economic depression that is one of the worst recorded in modern times, and the 2020 Beirut port explosion that killed more than 200 people.
Lebanon has not had a properly functioning government since the last parliamentary elections in May 2022.
Caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati was unable to secure backing for a new cabinet before then-President Michel Aoun’s term ended that October, leaving his administration with reduced powers.
(Editor: Ken Eseni)
