The Lebanese parliament elected the Army’s Commander-in-Chief, Joseph Aoun, on Thursday, January 9, as the country’s new president. Aoun’s election ends a presidential vacancy that lasted over two years, during which, 12 attempts to elect a president had failed. Aoun is Lebanon’s 14th president. The term of his predecessor, Michel Aoun (unrelated), ended in October 2022.
The voting was carried out within two sessions on Thursday, with a two-hour break in between.
All 128 deputies of the Lebanese Parliament participated in the presidential elections, with ambassadors from several countries in attendance, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Qatar, Egypt, and China.
In the first voting session, 71 deputies of the parliament voted for Aoun. As two-thirds majority (86 votes) was required for the candidate to win, Aoun failed to secure a victory.
During the break, Aoun met with the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc, which is the political wing of Hezbollah in the parliament, and the Development and Liberation bloc, which represents the Amal Movement and the Ba’ath Party in the Parliament.
After the meeting, the second voting session was carried out, during which members of Hezbollah and Amal Movement’s parliamentary blocs granted their votes to Joseph Aoun raising his votes from 71 to 99, which led to his election as the new president.
Hezbollah’s influential role in Lebanese politics
Emphasizing the influence of Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement (together commonly known as the Shiaa duo) in Lebanese politics in general, and the presidential elections in particular, MP Mohammad Raad stated that “delaying the vote was aimed at proving that Hezbollah and Amal Movement protect the national accord.” Raad also hailed “the sacrifices of the martyred resistance fighters, which enabled the parliament to convene and elect a new president.”
Speaking to Peoples Dispatch, American-Lebanese journalist Rania Khalek commented on Aoun’s election, saying: “The new president of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun, formerly the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, was imposed on the country. I wouldn’t necessarily say that he was selected, he was imposed on Lebanon by the US and Saudi Arabia. The US, in particular, has been trying to install Aoun upon us as a president for a couple years now, and they really started to push for it hard as Israel began bombing Lebanon, escalating the war in September.”
“Basically, as Israel weakened Hezbollah militarily, the US has been trying to weaken Hezbollah politically. Part of weakening it politically involved installing a president that they felt would be better for western interests,” Khalek added.
She further explained that “the President of Lebanon does not really have much political impact. For example, Joseph Aoun was able to become president because there were two rounds of voting and in the second round, Hezbollah voted for him. In the first round, Hezbollah and the other Shia party Amal, which is led by Nabih Berri, did not vote for Joseph Aoun, demonstrating their ability to stop him from becoming president. The members of Parliament from Amal movement and Hezbollah (representing what is called the duo or the Shia bloc) met with Joseph Aoun between the two rounds and told him their conditions for electing him. He apparently agreed to those conditions, which involved the way he will handle the ceasefire with Israel. After agreeing to their conditions, they did in fact vote for him, and as a result he became a president.”
Khalek explained that “this was the way the Shia bloc demonstrated that, despite being weaker than they were prior to Israel’s escalation in Lebanon, they still have political power, they still matter, and they cannot be ignored politically by the Americans, and they are still needed to make things happen in Lebanon.”
However, Khalek pointed out that in the meantime “we have to wait and see how things go in terms of what this means for the country.” She clarified that “it is not clear what impact this will ultimately have on the resistance and on the Lebanese situation moving forward,” but she pointed out, “Hezbollah came to the conclusion that having Joseph Aoun as a president is something that they can absolutely deal with, and that it would perhaps mean some measure of stability for Lebanon at least in the short-term.”
Joseph Aoun’s pledges for the new era
In his inaugural speech, Lebanon’s newly elected president vowed to lead a new chapter of the country’s history, emphasizing its resilience and unity. “We are a brave nation, resilient in the face of adversity. No matter our differences, in times of hardship–we come together,” Aoun stated. “If one of us falls, we all fall,” he added.
Aoun stressed the importance of legal and judicial reform, warning that “interference in the judiciary is forbidden, and there will be no immunity for criminals or corrupt individuals. There is no place for mafias, drug trafficking, or money laundering in Lebanon.”
In regards to strengthening Lebanon’s sovereignty and security, the new president said, “As the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, I pledge to uphold the state’s exclusive right to bear arms.” He also called for investing in the Lebanese Army to combat terrorism and prevent Israeli aggression, and vowed that the armed forces will prevent the Israeli attacks on Lebanon during his tenure. Moreover, he expressed his willingness to discuss a defense strategy that would be capable of removing the Zionist occupation.”
In terms of the devastation caused by the recent Israeli aggression on Lebanon, President Aoun pledged to lead the construction of all that was destroyed in South Lebanon, Bekaa, and Beirut’s southern suburb (Dahiyeh).
Reactions to Aoun’s election
Upon his election as Lebanon’s new president, US President Joe Biden called Joseph Aoun to congratulate him. The two presidents agreed that “the time is now to fully implement the cessation of hostilities announced on November 26, 2024, and for Lebanon and its people to recover and rebuild.”
Biden also vowed “to continue US support for Lebanon’s security forces, and for Lebanon’s recovery and reconstruction as President Aoun works with the United States and Lebanon’s true friends in the international community towards a Lebanon that is once again secure, sovereign, and prosperous.”
The US President further expressed his confidence that President Aoun is “the right leader to guide Lebanon through this moment of challenges and opportunities for his country.”
Israeli Foreign Minister, Gideon Sa’ar, congratulated Aoun in a post on X. “I congratulate Lebanon upon the election of a new President, following a lengthy political crisis. I hope that this choice will contribute towards stability, a better future for Lebanon and its people and to good neighborly relations,” Sa’ar said.
For their part, the Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad Movement congratulated Joseph Aoun, expressing their hope that Aoun’s presidency “will guide Lebanon towards progress and prosperity and realizing the goals of the Lebanese nation in terms of the complete liberation of their land” from the Israeli occupation. The movements stressed the need to “maintain the integrity, security and stability of Lebanon, preserve the security and peace of its citizens, and heal the effects of the recent Israeli aggressions on the country and its people.”
Hamas and Islamic Jihad also urged Aoun to work on improving the living conditions of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, and guaranteeing their social and human rights without harming their inalienable right of return to Palestine.
Who is Joseph Aoun?
Joseph Aoun was born in 1964 in Sin al-Fil village near the Lebanese capital Beirut. In 1983, Aoun joined the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), and he steadily rose through the ranks, until he became the commander-in-chief of the army in 2017.
Shortly after becoming the head of the Lebanese Armed Forces, Aoun gained prominence nationally and internationally because of the successful counter-terrorism operations he launched against the fighters of the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), who had been stationed in the mountainous terrain between Syria and Lebanon for years.
While leading the LAF, Aoun endeavored to foster relationships with the US, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar, which are believed to have gathered support around him for the presidency.
