Lebanon parliament extends Army chief’s term for one year

The Lebanese parliament on Friday voted to extend the army chief’s mandate, averting a military power vacuum .

The Parliament also approved delaying the retirement of senior officers at the head of the military and security services for one year, Lebanon’s official National News Agency said.

“We are passing through an extraordinary situation so it was necessary to take the decision that comes in Lebanon’s interest,” legislator Waddah Sadek told reporters after the meeting.

Army chief Joseph Aoun was set to retire on January 10, 2024, while the second most senior military position of army chief of staff is already vacant.

Lebanon has been without a president for more than a year and its government is operating in a caretaker capacity as political deadlock paralyzes decision-making.

No group in parliament holds an outright majority that would allow the election of a new head of state.

Around 80,000 Lebanese serve in the army, which is seen as a key pillar of the country’s stability.

The force is also deployed in the country’s south, which has seen deadly exchanges of fire, mainly between the Israeli army and Hezbollah, since the Israel-Hamas war began in October.

Lebanon is navigating a devastating economic crisis that has plunged most of the population into poverty, according to the United Nations, and the cash-strapped military struggles to even maintain its own equipment.

The head of the General Security agency retired in March without a replacement, while the central bank governor’s mandate expired in July, without a clear successor.

Lebanese media reported that the Hezbollah MPs decided leave the main hall of the Parliament, which prompted MPs Michel Moawad, Waddah Al-Sadiq and Ashraf Rifi to come down from the balcony seats to the main hall over fear of lack of a quorum.

AP/AFP