Defense chief Joseph Aoun has been elected president of Lebanon, media reports from Beirut. The election in the divided country was finally successful, after the post had been empty for almost two and a half years.
The term of office of representative Michel Aoun, who despite his name is not related to Joseph Aoun, expired in October 2022. Since then, more than ten attempts have been made to vote for a successor.
Only now did it succeed, but even Thursday’s process in parliament was dramatic. In a first vote, 71 members out of 128 said yes, which is not enough because a two-thirds majority was required.
After new meetings behind the scenes, with among others the powerful Shia militia Hezbollah, the members voted once more. And then Aoun got 99 votes, in other words approved.
Whether this means any lightening of the constant power struggles that complicate the governance of Lebanon remains to be seen. The country has a sensitive system where the president must be a Christian Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker a Shia Muslim.
It is the president who approves governments. Which in turn means that during the two and a half years that they could not agree on a president, the country has been governed by a temporary government with limited powers.
Joseph Aoun is seen as a promising name for the peace process with Israel. He has been highlighted as a favorite of, among others, the United States and Saudi Arabia – major powers with heavy roles in the region.