Army chief Joseph Aoun elected Lebanon's president after position left vacant since 2022
Election outcome reflects shifts in power balance in Lebanon, wider Middle East amid regional tensions
Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys U.S. approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.
In a speech to the chamber, Aoun, 60, vowed to work to ensure the state has the exclusive right to carry arms, drawing loud applause as lawmakers from Hezbollah — which runs its own military forces — sat still.
He promised to rebuild south Lebanon and other parts of the country he said had been destroyed by Israel, and also to prevent Israeli attacks on Lebanon, which was mired in economic and political crises even before the latest conflict.
"Today, a new phase in the history of Lebanon begins," he said.
The outcome reflected shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Shia Muslim Hezbollah badly pummeled from last year's war, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December.
It also indicated a revival of Saudi influence in a country where Riyadh's role was eclipsed by Iran and Hezbollah long ago.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar congratulated Lebanon, saying on X he hoped Aoun's election would contribute to stability and good neighbourly relations.
U.S. President Joe Biden said he strongly believed that Joseph Aoun is the right leader for Lebanon and congratulated him on his presidential election victory, the White House said in a statement Thursday.
"President Aoun will provide critical leadership as Lebanon and Israel fully implement that cessation of hostilities and as hundreds of thousands of people return to their homes and Lebanon recovers and rebuilds," Biden said.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's (no relation) term ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate able to win enough votes in the 128-seat parliament.
Saudi Arabia expresses support for Aoun
Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in a first round vote, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in a second round, according to parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shia ally the Amal Movement backed him.
Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said that by delaying their vote for Aoun, the group had "sent a message that we are the guardians of national consensus."
Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday as Hezbollah's long preferred candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, withdrew and declared support for the army commander, and as French and Saudi envoys shuttled around Beirut, urging his election in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese political sources said.
A source close to the Saudi royal court said French, Saudi, and U.S. envoys had told Berri, a close Hezbollah ally, that international financial assistance — including from Saudi Arabia — hinged on Aoun's election.
"There is a very clear message from the international community that they are ready to support Lebanon, but that needs a president, a government," Michel Mouawad, a Christian lawmaker opposed to Hezbollah who voted for Aoun, told Reuters before the vote.
"We did get a message from Saudi of support," he added. The Saudi king and crown prince congratulated Aoun.
His election is a first step toward 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, its economy still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion US.
Much of the damage is in majority Shi'ite areas, where Hezbollah draws support. Hezbollah has urged 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 cabinet, a process that can often be protracted as factions barter over ministerial portfolios.
Election begins new phase for Lebanon
France said Thursday the election opened a new page for Lebanon.
"This election must now be followed by the appointment of a strong government" capable of "carrying out the reforms necessary for Lebanon's economic recovery, stability, security and sovereignty," French foreign ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said.
Lebanon's international bonds, which have been in default since 2020, rallied after Aoun's victory was announced.
Aoun has played a key role in shoring up a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, which was brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The terms require the Lebanese army to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Opponents of Aoun's candidacy said his election was the result of foreign pressure. Lawmaker Gebran Bassil, leader of one of the biggest Christian factions, told the session many lawmakers had received "instructions from abroad."
But Melhem Riachi, a Christian lawmaker who voted for Aoun, said the election marked the end of the previous era with "an Iranian face."
"This is the era of Lebanon's harmony with the international community," he said.