Lebanon’s parliament finally ended the multi-year situation in which the country had no president, electing Army chief Joseph Aoun to the position. He is the first president since October 2022, when former President Michel Aoun’s (who is unrelated to Joseph Aoun) term expired.
Lebanon’s government is very divided, making it difficult for a candidate to be successfully elected. Aoun’s election happened only after former Interior Minister Suleiman Frangieh, the main alternative candidate, withdrew and endorsed Aoun.
Electing a president requires a two-thirds majority of parliament, which was met after Frangieh’s endorsement gave Aoun the support of Hezbollah and Amal Movements. Many media reports see Aoun’s election as a sign of Hezbollah’s weakness, despite most Hezbollah MPs supporting him.
Aoun had been the candidate of choice for many in the international community. The US in particular told Lebanon that Saudi Arabia was prepared to give Lebanon hundreds of millions of dollars in post-war reconstruction if Aoun were elected.
The US Embassy was quick to issue a statement praising Aoun’s election, and Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar also welcomed the move as a step toward stability in Lebanon. Israel is still occupying much of southern Lebanon, and there is no sign of them withdrawing within the 60-day deadline the ceasefire prescribes. France also congratulated Aoun on his win.
Aoun’s actual political positions aren’t really know, but after the election he did promise to support an independent judiciary. In practice, however, Lebanon is a parliamentary system, so the president’s power is fairly limited, beyond nominating prime ministers. Prime Minister Najib Mikati has been “acting prime minister” in recent years because there was no president to nominate him.
Lebanon’s president serves a term of six years. The president can only hold non-consecutive terms, after another candidate holds the position for six years. By convention, Lebanon appoints a Maronite Christian to the presidency, although this is not a strict constitutional requirement. The sectarian power-sharing convention gives Maronites the presidency, Sunnis the premiership, and Shi’ites the speaker of parliament.
Lebanon’s constitution was amended in 1998 to allow military commanders to serve as president. Since that amendment, all four of Lebanon’s presidents have been military commanders.
While the presidency is largely a ceremonial position, the hope is that Aoun’s election will open up the flow of international aid for reconstruction after Israel’s invasion. This may not happen immediately, however, as Israel isn’t yet withdrawing from Lebanon and there are substantial concerns that the war is going to restart.
