Beirut, Lebanon
CNN
—
LebanonParliament elected the US-backed army chief as the country’s new president, ending a years-long political impasse and presidential vacuum.
Army chief Joseph Aoun was elected president after two rounds of voting. This follows significant efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States to rally support for Aoun, who is close to Washington and Riyadh.
After being declared president, Aoun effectively resigned as army chief. He arrived at Parliament to take the oath dressed in civilian clothes.
In his acceptance speech, Aoun hailed the dawn of a “new era” in Lebanon, pledging to lead the country out of its myriad economic and political crises. He also made a rare promise to “monopolize weapons” under state mandate, a clear allusion to the arsenal of the Iranian-backed militant group Hezbollah.
Hezbollah is the best-armed militant group in the Middle East, and until the devastating war with Israel last fall, it had influence in at least three countries.
Israel’s heavy blows during the conflict, coupled with the fall of its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, have severely weakened Hezbollah, reigniting a long-running internal debate over the group’s disarmament.
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The US-brokered ceasefire agreement signed on November 27 also stipulates that Hezbollah must withdraw from the border region with Israel, further undermining its military position. Israeli forces must also leave Lebanese territory by the end of January, according to the terms of the agreement.
The Lebanese army did not participate in the all-out war with Israel but is a key player in implementing the ceasefire agreement.
“The Lebanese state – I mean the Lebanese state – will get rid of the Israeli occupation,” Aoun said in his speech. The new president also raised the specter of a Lebanese “defensive strategy” against Israel – officially classified as an enemy state – without Hezbollah. The armed group has long been seen as the de facto military force charged with fighting Israel.
“My time will include discussing our defensive strategy to enable the Lebanese state to get rid of Israeli occupation and retaliate against its aggression,” Aoun said.
Lebanon has been without a president since the term of former President Michel Aoun – who is not related to Joseph Aoun – ended in October 2022. The former president was supported by the Iran-backed Hezbollah. Negotiations over his successor have failed, reigniting tensions between the country’s pro-Western and pro-Iranian camps.
Ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary sessions, 12 attempts to elect a president have failed over the past two years.
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc said it voted for Aoun in the second round to promote “national cohesion” but withheld its vote in the first round to “send a message.”
“We wanted to send a message… that we are protectors of sovereignty,” Hezbollah bloc leader Mohammad Raad told reporters. Aoun won by 99 parliamentary votes out of 128 in the second round.
Part of this small eastern Mediterranean country’s confessional power-sharing system, Lebanon’s president is usually a Maronite Christian.
