General Joseph Aoun elected President of Lebanon

The commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, General Joseph Aoun, was elected president. In the second round of voting, 91 members of parliament voted for him. In the first round he received 71 votes, which was not enough.

Lebanon was left without a president in October 2022 when Michel Aoun’s term expired. More than ten attempts to elect a head of state ended in failure. All this time, Prime Minister Najib Mikati performed presidential duties.

Note that the United States, France and Saudi Arabia put strong pressure on the Lebanese political establishment to achieve the election of a head of state. Hezbollah, which previously opposed Aoun’s candidacy, withdrew its objections.

This is not the first time Lebanon has found itself without a president. The head of state is traditionally elected by consensus, which requires lengthy consultations between parties with opposing political views. Let us add that according to the current agreements, a representative of the Christian community of Lebanon becomes president.

The new president will have to deal with Lebanon’s dire economic problems, as well as monitor the implementation of agreements on the transition of the south of the country to the control of the armed forces. The weakening of Hezbollah after the war and the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in Syria will help achieve the second goal.