Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun was voted in as the country’s 14th president on Thursday, ending more than two years of political vacuum.
Aoun, who is backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, won 99 votes out of a total of 128 in parliament, after failing to get a required majority in a first round earlier in the day.
Aoun secured the votes in the second round after receiving the endorsement of lawmakers from Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement.
Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said that by delaying their vote for Aoun, the group had “sent a message that we are the guardians of national consensus”.
Momentum around Aoun, Lebanon’s fifth army commander to become president, had been building in recent days. On Wednesday, Hezbollah’s favoured candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, the leader of the Marada party, withdrew his candidacy in support of the army commander.
In his first speech to parliament after he was elected, Aoun said Lebanon is entering a new phase and that he would call for “quick parliamentary consultations” on naming a new prime minister. He also pledged to enact reforms and fight corruption.
‘Monopoly on arms’
Aoun’s election comes at a delicate time for Lebanon, with a fragile ceasefire in place between Israel and Hezbollah following a devastating war that came to a halt in early December.
The president told lawmakers that he would work to ensure that the state would have “a monopoly on arms” and called for the state to invest in the army to enable it “to protect its borders, fight smuggling and terrorism, and prevent Israeli aggression on its territory.
“I will discuss a defence strategy for the Lebanese state to fight against the Israeli invasion. And I do mean the Lebanese state,” he said.
Aoun also committed to rebuilding the widespread devastation caused by Israel’s brutal bombing campaign across Lebanon.
Since late November, the general has overseen the gradual deployment of the Lebanese military in southern Lebanon as part of the ceasefire agreement.
Aoun has led the army since 2017 and has maintained good relations across the Lebanese political class, including Hezbollah, though the party has criticised his connections to Washington.
Saudi and US influence
The international community has intensified pressure on political leaders to break years of deadlock and address the country’s ongoing crises, including five years of economic collapse and widespread corruption.
A senior Arab official and a former senior US official told Middle East Eye on Monday that Washington had communicated to Lebanese officials that Saudi Arabia is prepared to deploy hundreds of millions of dollars to reconstruct their war-torn country if Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun is elected president.
The Saudi king and crown prince congratulated Aoun, while US ambassador Lisa Johnson, attending the parliamentary session, told Reuters she was “very happy” with his election.
Aoun’s election indicates a shift in the balance of power in Lebanon and a revival of Saudi and American influence in the country, where Iran, Hezbollah’s chief ally, had held sway for years.
Opponents of his candidacy viewed his election as the result of foreign pressure, while supporters saw it as an end to Iranian influence.
Iran’s embassy in Beirut welcomed Aoun’s appointment and expressde hopes for close cooperation between the two countries.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian, has remained vacant since Michel Aoun’s term expired in October 2022. Deeply divided political parties have struggled to agree on a candidate capable of securing enough support in the 128-seat parliament.
