Lebanon Elects Army Chief Joseph Aoun as President, Ending Two-Year Deadlock

Lebanon's parliament has elected Joseph Aoun as the country's new president, a decision that marks the end of a more than two-year political deadlock. The army chief, who has commanded the Lebanese military since 2017, secured the position with support from various political factions and international allies.

In a decisive vote, Lebanese lawmakers elected Joseph Aoun as the country's president, concluding a protracted period of political stalemate that lasted over two years. Aoun, a 60-year-old career soldier, received considerable backing from multiple political parties, as well as pivotal support from the United States, France, and Saudi Arabia. His rival, previously buoyed by the Hezbollah militia, withdrew on the eve of the vote, thereby endorsing Aoun and further consolidating his position.

The election comes in the wake of a ceasefire agreement aimed at resolving the recent escalation between Israel and Hezbollah, a conflict that has notably diminished Hezbollah’s influence. The Lebanese army was strategically excluded from the conflict and now holds a crucial position in maintaining peace under the terms of the ceasefire, which requires its forces to secure southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw, and to ensure the disarmament of Hezbollah by January 26.

Aoun’s tenure as the army's commander has seen Lebanon navigate through a series of crises, including the tumultuous Hezbollah-Israel war, a catastrophic economic depression, and the 2020 Beirut port explosion that resulted in over 200 fatalities. However, Lebanon has not operated with a fully functional government since the parliamentary elections of May 2022, as caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati struggled to form a new cabinet following the end of former president Michel Aoun's term in October.

Despite the obstacles, the parliament held multiple meetings in a fruitless attempt to elect a president, resulting in 12 failed voting sessions by June 2023, mainly due to dissent from Hezbollah and its allies. In the latest voting round, while Aoun initially came up short of the required two-thirds majority in the first round, he surged ahead in the second round, ultimately garnering 99 votes and fulfilling the necessary criteria to assume the presidency.

As news of his election spread, celebratory scenes erupted throughout Lebanon, signaling a public sense of hope as Aoun, dressed in a formal suit, made his entrance to the parliament to be sworn in.