Lebanon’s Parliament elects army chief as president after two years of vacuum

The Lebanese Parliament elected the current head of the Army, Joseph Aoun, as president of the country this Thursday, whose appointment puts an end to more than two years of vacuum in the Lebanese head of state due to lack of consensus between the divided political blocs.

“The presidency of Parliament announces Joseph Aoun as president,” declared the head of the Legislature, Nabih Berri, after announcing the results of the vote, in which Lebanon’s top military commander obtained the support of 99 of the 128 deputies of the Camera. When the live count reached 85 votes for Aoun, the two-thirds majority that the Presidency grants him indisputably, those present broke into applause and fireworks, shots in the air and ship sirens immediately began to resonate through Beirut. .

The 60-year-old soldier joined the military institution at the age of 19 as a volunteer and rose through the ranks until he was appointed in March 2017 as the new commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces, a mandate that Parliament extended for one more year at the end of last November.

Lebanon had been without a president since Michel Aoun’s mandate expired in October 2022, as the different political blocs have been unable to agree on a consensus candidate, causing more than a dozen days of presidential elections to fail in the Chamber.

Parliament met this morning for this purpose for the first time in a year and a half, but in that first session Aoun fell short of 85 votes, garnering only 71, which led to a second session being called early this morning. late.

Both votes of the day occurred amid great international and domestic pressure for Parliament to choose a president before the ceasefire agreement with Israel, which initially lasts 60 days, ends at the end of this month. .

Rebuild the country and defend against Israel

Aoun pledged to rebuild the areas destroyed during the recent Israeli air offensive against the country, to limit the state’s possession of weapons and to draw up a defense strategy to deter Israel. “My commitment is to rebuild what was destroyed by the enemy in the south, also in the Bekaa (east) and the Dahye (Beirutian suburb), as well as in any other place,” he announced, referring to the regions most affected by the campaign launched by Israel between last September and November.

“We will also discuss a complete defense strategy at the diplomatic, economic and military levels that allows the Lebanese state to remove the Israeli occupation and deter its aggression,” Aoun added during a speech in Parliament, shortly before taking the oath of office.

The new president of Lebanon also warned that the country is mired in a “government crisis” and advocated adopting a new security strategy in the country. “We have reached the moment of truth. We are in a government crisis, in which we should change the political management regarding security and the protection of our borders,” he said.

International reactions

The end of the blockade at a critical moment for the country has been received with favor by the international community. The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security, Kaja Kallas, congratulated the new president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, on his election and spoke of “a moment of hope.” “I warmly congratulate Joseph Aoun on his election as President of Lebanon. This important step marks a moment of hope,” said the head of European diplomacy through social networks. “We hope that a government capable of carrying out a reform-oriented agenda will be quickly formed,” he added.

“The appointment of the new president of Lebanon opens new perspectives for the stability and prosperity of the country. “Spain is committed to the peace, stability and sovereignty of Lebanon, which I will reiterate during my visit next week,” the Spanish Foreign Minister, José Manuel Albares, wrote in X.

Israel, which maintains its troops in the south of the country, also congratulated the new president. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he hoped that his arrival “will contribute to strengthening stability, a better future for Lebanon, its residents and good neighborliness.”