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Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidential seat with a general who enjoys US approval and shows the diminished influence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after a devastating war with Israel.
In a speech in the hall, Aoun, 60, vowed to work for the state’s exclusive right to bear arms, prompting loud applause as lawmakers from Hezbollah – which commands its own military – sat quietly.
He promised to rebuild southern Lebanon and other parts of the country he said had been destroyed by Israel, as well as to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was mired in economic and political crisis even before the latest conflict.
“Today begins a new phase in the history of Lebanon,” he said.
The outcome reflected changes in the balance of power in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Shiite Muslim Hezbollah badly beaten in last year’s war and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad demolished in December.
It also signaled a resurgence of Saudi influence in a country where Riyadh’s role has long been overshadowed by Iran and Hezbollah.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated Lebanon, saying on X that he hoped Aoun’s election would contribute to stability and good neighborly relations.
US Ambassador Lisa Johnson, who attended the session, told Reuters she was “very happy” with Aoun’s election.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since the term of Michel Aoun (no relation) ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate who could win enough votes in 128. – the seat of the parliament.
Saudi Arabia expresses its support for Aoun
Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in the first round of voting, but passed the threshold with 99 votes in the second round, according to parliament speaker Nabih Berri, after he was backed by lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement.
Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said that by delaying the vote for Aoun, the group “sent a message that we are the guardians of the national consensus.”
Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday when Hezbollah’s long-preferred candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, backed down and backed the military chief, and as French and Saudi envoys roamed Beirut calling for his election in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese politicians said. source.
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A source close to the Saudi royal court said French, Saudi and American envoys told Berri, a close Hezbollah ally, that international financial aid – including from Saudi Arabia – was contingent on Aoun’s election.
“There is a very clear message from the international community that they are ready to support Lebanon, but it needs a president, a government,” Michel Mouawad, a Christian lawmaker opposed to Hezbollah who voted for Aoun, told Reuters before the vote.
“We received a message of support from the Saudis,” he added. The Saudi king and crown prince congratulated Aoun.
His election is the first step towards reviving government institutions in a country that has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Michel Aoun left office.
Lebanon, whose economy is still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international aid to rebuild after the war, which the World Bank estimates has cost the country $8.5 billion.
Much of the damage is in Shiite-majority areas, where Hezbollah has support. Hezbollah called for Arab and international support for Lebanon.
Lebanon’s system of government now requires Aoun to convene consultations with lawmakers to nominate a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a new government, a process that can often drag on as factions shift over ministerial portfolios.
The elections begin a new phase for Lebanon
France said on Thursday that the election had opened a new page for Lebanon.
“These elections must now be accompanied by the appointment of a strong government” capable “of implementing the reforms necessary for Lebanon’s economic recovery, stability, security and sovereignty,” said French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine.
Lebanon’s international bonds, which have been in default since 2020, rallied after Aoun’s victory was announced.
Aoun played a key role in supporting a cease-fire between Hezbollah and Israel, which was mediated by Washington and Paris in November. The terms call for the Lebanese army to deploy in southern Lebanon while Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw.
Opponents of Aoun’s candidacy said his election was the result of foreign pressure. Representative Gebran Bassil, the leader of one of the largest Christian factions, said at the session that many deputies received “instructions from abroad.”
But Melhem Riachi, a Christian lawmaker who voted for Aoun, said the election marked the end of a previous era with an “Iranian face”.
“This is the age of Lebanon’s harmony with the international community,” he said.
