Army chief Joseph Aoun becomes Lebanon's new president, political deadlock to end

Lebanon's parliament on Thursday elected army chief Joseph Aoun as the country's new president, ending a long-running political deadlock and presidential vacancy. According to news agency, Aoun was elected after two rounds of voting. After which the US and Saudi Arabia made extensive efforts to garner support for him.

The US and Saudi Arabia have close ties with Aoun. According to the report, both countries played an important role in Aoun's election.

Joseph Aoun, Lebanon's new president

Following his election, Aoun resigned from his military role and arrived at parliament in civilian attire to take the oath. In his acceptance speech, Aoun declared the beginning of a 'new era' for Lebanon, vowing to overcome the country's ongoing economic. He also made a rare pledge to 'monopolise weapons' under the authority of the state, indicating his intention to disarm the Iran-backed terrorist group Hezbollah, which has significant military influence in Lebanon.

Political deadlock comes to end

In particular, Hezbollah, the most heavily armed terrorist group in the Middle East, had significant influence in several countries until it suffered heavy losses in a recent war with Israel. This conflict, combined with the weakening of its ally, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has reignited the domestic debate over disarming the group.

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The US-brokered ceasefire deal signed in November further weakened Hezbollah's position by stipulating its withdrawal from the border area with Israel, and Israeli forces are required to leave Lebanese territory by the end of January,

US-brokered ceasefire deal signed in November

Although the Lebanese army did not directly participate in the war with Israel, it played a key role in enforcing the terms of the ceasefire. Defence In his speech, Aoun emphasised that Lebanon, as a state, would work to free itself from Israeli occupation and mentioned the possibility of developing a national defence strategy against Israel without Hezbollah.

Israeli forces are required to leave Lebanese territory

Since October 2022 Lebanon has been without a president. However, attempts to elect a new president failed 12 times in the past two years, deepening divisions between Lebanon's pro-Western and pro-Iranian factions. In the second round of voting, Aoun received 99 out of 128 votes. Hezbollah's parliamentary faction supported his election in the second round to promote national unity but withheld their votes in the first round as a statement of their stance on sovereignty.

Summary

Aoun announced the start of a new era for Lebanon, vowing to address the country's ongoing economic and political crises. He also made a rare pledge to "monopolize weapons" under the authority of the state, signaling his intention to disarm the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah, which has significant military influence in Lebanon.