By Timour Azhari, Maya Gebeily and Laila Bassam
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.
The outcome reflected shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Shi’ite Muslim Hezbollah badly pummelled 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.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s 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.
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 Shi’ite ally the Amal Movement backed him.
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.
Aoun’s election is a first step towards reviving government institutions in a country which has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since 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.
Lebanon’s system of government requires the new president 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.
Aoun has 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 military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Aoun, 60, has been commander of the U.S.-backed Lebanese army since 2017. On his watch, U.S. aid continued to flow to the army, part of a long-standing U.S. policy focused on supporting state institutions to curb Hezbollah’s influence.
Aoun’s remarks
Lebanon’s army chief Joseph Aoun walks after being elected as the country’s President at the parliament building in Beirut, Lebanon, January 9, 2025. REUTERS/Mohamed Azakir
Lebanon’s new President Joseph Aoun told parliament on Thursday that the country was entering a new phase, in his first speech after being elected head of the crisis-hit country.
“Today, a new phase in Lebanon’s history begins,” Aoun told lawmakers after being sworn in at parliament immediately after his election, adding that he would call for “quick parliamentary consultations” on naming a new prime minister and vowing that the state would have “a monopoly” on arms after a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah’s reaction
Commenting on the election, the head of Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc MP Mohammad Raad announced Thursday that Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement protected “national consensus” by choosing to vote for President Joseph Aoun in the second round of the presidential election session.
Iran’s reaction
Iran’s embassy in Beirut welcomed on Thursday the election of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, expressing hopes for close cooperation between the two countries.
“We congratulate brotherly Lebanon for the election of General Joseph Aoun,” said the embassy in a statement on X, adding that “we look forward to working together… and to cooperate in different fields in a way that serves the common interests for our countries.”
Israel’s reaction
Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Saar welcomed on Thursday the election of Lebanese army chief Joseph Aoun as Lebanon’s president, expressing hope that it would help achieve stability.
“I hope that this choice will contribute towards stability, a better future for Lebanon and its people and to good neighborly relations,” Saar, whose country was at war with Lebanese armed group Hezbollah until late last year, said on X.
Hochstein’s reaction
U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein on Thursday told Al-Arabiya English that electing a president is “a great day for Lebanon” and a step toward peace, security and stability, shortly after General Joseph Aoun was elected as the country’s new president.
The U.S. Embassy in Beirut for its part said Ambassador Lisa Johnson congratulates Aoun on his election.
“We deeply value our long-standing partnership with Lebanon and are committed to working closely with President Aoun as he begins his efforts to unite the country, implement reforms and secure a prosperous future for Lebanon,” the Embassy said in a post on the X platform.
UN’s reaction
The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, congratulated Thursday Joseph Aoun on his election as President of the Republic of Lebanon. The Special Coordinator welcomed the election of a president as “a long-awaited first step towards overcoming Lebanon’s political and institutional vacuum and providing the Lebanese people with the functioning state institutions they deserve.”
“A prime minister must be designated and a government formed without delay. The tasks ahead of the Lebanese State are too monumental to waste any more time,” she added
Reuters/ News Agencies