Lebanon ’s parliament elected the US-backed army chief as the country’s next president, ending a years-long political stalemate. Army chief Joseph Aoun was voted president after two rounds of voting. This came after robust efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States to rally support for Aoun, who is close to Washington and Riyadh.
Lebanon has been without a president since the end of former President Michel Aoun’s tenure in October 2022. The former president was backed by Iran-supported Hezbollah. Negotiations over his successor were unsuccessful, reinvigorating tensions between the country’s pro-Western and pro-Iranian camps.
Prior to Thursday’s parliamentary sessions, there were 12 failed attempts to elect a president over the last two years.
A ceasefire brokered by the U.S. last November ended the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, prompting the presidential election.
Israel’s military assault severely weakened Hezbollah, which followed the collapse of Iran-backed Syrian President Bashar al-Assad shortly after.
Assad had opened his territory to the passage of Hezbollah’s weapons from Iran via neighboring Iraq.
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The Lebanese army did not participate in the all-out war with Israel but is a key player in the implementation of the ceasefire agreement. This stipulates that the army must deploy to areas dominated by Hezbollah in southern Lebanon, which borders Israel. It also requires Israeli forces to withdraw from Lebanese territory.
As part of the tiny eastern Mediterranean country’s confessional power-sharing system, Lebanon’s president is typically a Maronite Christian.
