ALBAWABA - After more than two years, the Lebanese Parliament finally chose Army Commander General Joseph Aoun as the country's next president on Thursday. In the second round of voting, which was attended by all 128 members of parliament, Aoun received 99 votes.
Aoun took the oath of office after the formal announcement and spoke to the country, saying, "Today marks the beginning of a new chapter in Lebanon's history. I promise to carry out my responsibilities as an impartial mediator between institutions to the fullest." He underlined the need of changes, saying, "Mismanagement has caused Lebanon to experience wars and disasters. We must all pledge to uphold the rule of law, which forbids partiality, impunity for dishonest people, and meddling in the administration of justice.
When no candidate received the necessary two-thirds majority in the first round of voting, the session was first halted for deliberations. Aoun earned 71 votes in the first round, 37 MPs cast blank ballots, and four votes were discarded. Aoun got the votes he needed to win the president in the second round, when a simple majority was all that was necessary.
The vote was called by the Speaker of Parliament after many unsuccessful efforts to fill the position, the most recent of which took place in June 2023.
Since Michel Aoun's tenure ended in October 2022, Lebanon has been without a president. This was the sixth such political impasse in Lebanon's history, and the delay lasted for more than 13 legislative sessions.
According to reports, there was strong regional and international support for General Aoun's candidacy, especially from the US. Leading up to the vote, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, Saudi representative Yazid Al-Farhan, and French diplomat Jean-Yves Le Drian held meetings with key Lebanese political figures to discuss the political impasse.
The post-war rehabilitation after recent Israeli attacks that damaged portions of southern and eastern Lebanon as well as neighborhoods in the southern suburbs of Beirut is one of the major difficulties facing the new president. UN Resolution 1701, which demands the disarming of all non-state armed organizations and the maintenance of peace along Lebanon's southern border, must likewise be put into effect by Aoun.
