Lebanon’s Two-Year Long Presidential Crisis Nears End? Parliament Votes Amid Hopes for Joseph Aoun

Lebanon's parliament is making another attempt to elect a President on Thursday (9 January) after more than two years of vacancy.

The search for a successor to former President Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022, has been marked by 12 unsuccessful attempts.

However, this latest effort may yield a head of state, as indications suggest the election process could finally produce a winner.

The leading candidate is Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander, who is viewed as the preferred choice of the United States and Saudi Arabia. 

Lebanon is currently in urgent need of foreign support to rebuild after the 14-month conflict between Hezbollah and Israel.

Initially, Hezbollah had endorsed Suleiman Frangieh, a leader of a small Christian party with ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad. 

However on 8 January, Frangieh withdrew from the race and threw his support behind Aoun, which could pave the way for the army chief’s election.

Lebanon’s political system, shaped by sectarian power-sharing, is notoriously prone to deadlock.

The country has experienced several prolonged presidential vacancies, with the longest lasting nearly two and a half years between May 2014 and October 2016 before Aoun was elected.

Joseph Aoun’s candidacy faces constitutional challenges. As a sitting army commander, he is technically barred from becoming President, although such bans have been waived in the past. If elected, Aoun would need a two-thirds majority of the 128-member parliament, even in the second round.

Other candidates include Jihad Azour, former Finance Minister and current IMF official, and Elias al-Baysari, head of Lebanon’s General Security agency. 

The new president will face an immense task, including the implementation of the ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah, tackling Lebanon’s economic crisis, and securing funding for post-war reconstruction.

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