Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun has been elected as the country’s president after a second round of parliamentary voting, breaking a deadlock that has left the country without a head of state since October 2022.
Aoun secured 99 votes from the 128-seat parliament to win the presidency in a second round of voting on Thursday afternoon, which came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted 14 months of fighting between Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah, as the country seeks aid for reconstruction.
“A new phase in the history of Lebanon begins today,” 61-year-old Aoun told the chamber, as he arrived to take oath in Parliament.
Aoun’s victory, which saw members of parliament erupting in celebration as he reached the required threshold of 86 votes, marked the legislature’s 13th attempt to find a successor for Michel Aoun – not related – whose term ended in October 2022.
“There is no doubt the election of Joseph Aoun is a new era in Lebanon,” said Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr, reporting from Beirut. “Joseph Aoun really is a favourite candidate of the international community, but … he really does enjoy support here.”
The balance of power in Lebanon had shifted, she said, noting that Israel’s war on Lebanon had “weakened” Hezbollah.
In his acceptance speech, Aoun had focused on “building” the nation and its army while sending the message that nobody had been “defeated”.
Credit: aljazeera.com
