Aoun is widely seen as the preferred pick of the United States and regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
Published On 9 Jan 2025
Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun has been elected as the country’s president, ending a power vacuum that lasted for more than two years.
Aoun secured 99 votes from the 128-seat parliament to win the presidency in a second round of voting on Thursday afternoon – a move that came weeks after a tenuous ceasefire agreement halted 14 months of fighting between Israel and the Lebanese armed group Hezbollah, as the country seeks aid for reconstruction.
“A new phase in the history of Lebanon begins today,” 60-year-old Aoun told the chamber after he was sworn in.
Aoun’s victory, which saw members of parliament erupting in celebration as he reached the required threshold of 86 votes, came on 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.
“This country needs billions of dollars of reconstruction money and that money won’t come in until Lebanon elects a president that the international community believes is reform minded, outside what they believe is a corrupt political class,” she said.
In his acceptance speech, Aoun had focused on “building” the nation and its army while sending the message that nobody had been “defeated”.
“This is a country where there are deep … political and sectarian divisions. If one community feels that they have been left out, then there cannot be civil peace. This country does not function if there is no consensus,” said Khodr.
Daunting remit
The Mediterranean country had been