Lebanon Elects US-Backed Army Chief Joseph Aoun as President, Ending Political Stalemate

TDT | Manama
Email : editor@newsofbahrain.com

After over a year of political stalemate, Lebanon's parliament has elected Army Chief Joseph Aoun as the country's president, filling the leadership void that persisted since October 2022.

Joseph Aoun, backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia, was elected following two rounds of parliamentary voting. His presidency comes after extensive diplomatic efforts by Western and Gulf nations to unite Lebanon’s divided political factions.

The prolonged impasse stemmed from tensions between Lebanon’s pro-Western and pro-Iranian blocs. The former president, Michel Aoun, who concluded his term in October 2022, had strong ties to Hezbollah, Iran's ally, which complicated negotiations for his successor.

The breakthrough was largely facilitated by a US-brokered ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel last November. The agreement tasked the Lebanese army, under Aoun’s leadership, with deploying to Hezbollah-dominated regions in southern Lebanon. Israeli forces were also required to withdraw from Lebanese territories under the terms of the ceasefire.

As a Maronite Christian, Joseph Aoun’s presidency aligns with Lebanon’s confessional power-sharing framework, which allocates the presidency to members of the Maronite Christian community.

Aoun's leadership is anticipated to reinforce Lebanon’s ties with Western and Gulf nations while strengthening the Lebanese army’s role as a stabilizing force amid the country's economic and political crises. His presidency is viewed as a pivotal opportunity for Lebanon to navigate its challenges and rebuild institutional trust.