Army chief Joseph Aoun has elected Lebanon’s president after the post has been left vacant since 2022
Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as head of state on Thursday, filling a vacant presidential post with a general who enjoys the approval of the US and who signals the shrinking dominance of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.
In his speech to the assembly, Aoun, 60, vowed to work to ensure the regime’s exclusive right to bear arms, to a standing ovation as lawmakers from Hezbollah – which controls its militia – remained silent.
He promised to rebuild southern Lebanon and other parts of the country that he said had been destroyed by Israel, and he would stop Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was plagued by economic and political problems even before the latest conflict.
“Today, a new chapter in the history of Lebanon begins,” he said.
The result marked a shift in the balance of power in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, where the Shia Muslim Hezbollah suffered a crushing defeat in last year’s war, and its Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.
It also showed a resurgence of Saudi influence in a country where Riyadh’s role was overshadowed by Iran and Hezbollah long ago.
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated Lebanon, saying he hoped that Aoun’s election would contribute to stability and good neighborly relations.
US Ambassador Lisa Johnson, who attended the meeting, told Reuters she was “very happy” with Aoun’s election.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in the Lebanese party’s power-sharing plan, has been vacant since the term of Michel Aoun (no relation) ends in October 2022, with the various factions unable to agree on a candidate who will be able to win enough votes to reach 128. -seat of parliament.
Saudi Arabia expresses support for Aoun
Aoun failed to get the required 86 votes in the first round of voting, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in the second round, according to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shia ally Amal Movement backed him.
Hezbollah spokesman Mohammed Raad said that by delaying the vote for Aoun, the group “sent a message that we are not the guardians of the national agreement.”
Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday as Hezbollah’s longtime nominee, Suleiman Frangieh, withdrew and announced his support for the army chief, and as French and Saudi envoys flocked to Beirut, urging him to be elected in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese political sources said.
Lebanese people are burying their dead and trying to rebuild their lives as the fragile peace agreement between Israel and Hezbollah continues, as CBC News hears differing views on the fragile group’s future.
A source close to the Saudi royal court said French, Saudi, and US envoys told Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, that international financial aid – including from Saudi Arabia – depends on Aoun’s election.
“There is a very clear message from the international community that they are ready to support Lebanon, but that requires a president, a government,” Michel Mouawad, an anti-Hezbollah Christian lawyer who voted for Aoun, told Reuters before the vote.
“We received a message from Saudi of support,” he added. The Saudi king and crown prince congratulated Aoun.
His election is the first step to rehabilitate government institutions in a country that has not had a head of state or cabinet with full authority since Michel Aoun left office.
Lebanon, whose economy is reeling from the worst financial crisis in 2019, is in desperate need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates has cost the country $8.5 billion.
The worst damage is in many Shi’ite areas, where Hezbollah receives support. Hezbollah appealed for Arab and international support in Lebanon.
Lebanon’s government plan now requires Aoun to call talks with lawmakers to appoint a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a new cabinet, a process that is often drawn out as parties trade ministerial posts.
The election begins a new phase for Lebanon
France said Thursday that the election had opened a new page for Lebanon.
“These elections must now be followed by the appointment of a strong government” capable of “making the necessary changes to improve Lebanon’s economy, stability, security and sovereignty,” said French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine.
Lebanon’s international bonds, which have been inactive since 2020, rallied after Aoun’s victory was announced.
Aoun was instrumental in finalizing the ceasefire agreement between Hezbollah and Israel, which was ratified by Washington and Paris in November. The conditions require the Lebanese army to deploy in southern Lebanon as the Israeli army and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Opponents of Aoun said his election was due to foreign pressure. Lawyer Gebran Bassil, the leader of one of the largest Christian groups, told this article that many lawmakers received “instructions from abroad.”
But Melhem Riachi, a Christian lawmaker who voted for Aoun, said the election marked the end of the past “Iranian face.”
“This is the time for Lebanon’s harmony with the international community,” he said.
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