The country’s President, Joseph Aoun, is the chief of Lebanon’s armed forces. This ends a two-year power vacuum.

Aoun won the second round of voting for the presidency on Thursday, after receiving 99 votes in the 128-seat parliament. This came just weeks after an ill-fated ceasefire agreement ended 14 months of fighting between Israel’s armed forces and Hezbollah. The country is now seeking reconstruction aid.

Aoun, 60, told the chamber that a new chapter in the history of Lebanon began today after he had been sworn in.

Aoun won the election, with members of the parliament celebrating as he met the threshold of 86 votes. This was the 13th time the legislature had tried to elect a successor to Michel Aoun, whose term expired in October 2022.

Zeina Khoury, reporting for Al Jazeera from Beirut said: “There’s no doubt that the election of Joseph Aoun marks a new era for Lebanon.” “Joseph Aoun is the favorite candidate for the international community but… he enjoys support here.”

She said that the balance of power had changed in Lebanon, noting Israel’s war against Lebanon as having “weakened” Hezbollah.

She said, “This country is in desperate need of billions of dollars for reconstruction and this money will not come until Lebanon elects an independent president who the international community considers reform-minded. This person would be outside of what they perceive as a corrupt political elite.”

Aoun’s acceptance speech focused on “building” a nation and its military while sending a message that no one had been “defeated”.

“This is a nation where there are deep… political and religious divisions. Civil peace is impossible if one community feels left out. Khodr said that without consensus, the country cannot function.

Daunting Remit

Since the end of Michel Aoun’s term in October 2022 there has been no president for the Mediterranean country. Tensions between Hezbollah supporters and their opponents have ruined a dozen prior elections.

A source close to the group said that in the first round earlier that day, the pro-Hezbollah lawmakers had voted blank. This left Aoun without the two-thirds required to win the election outright.

Sources said that representatives of the bloc met Aoun in the parliament before returning to vote a second time.

With only 17 days left in the ceasefire, it was becoming increasingly difficult to achieve a positive outcome.

Aoun faces the difficult task of overseeing a ceasefire and naming a premier to lead the reforms required by international creditors in order to ease the worst economic crisis the country has ever experienced.

A New Page

Aoun is widely regarded as the choice of the United States and regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Lisa Johnson, the US ambassador in Lebanon, attended the session of the Lebanese Parliament on Thursday along with other foreign representatives. She said that she was “very pleased” by Aoun’s victory.

Saudi state media reported that King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman congratulated Aoun on his election.

Iran’s embassy also expressed its joy at Aoun’s victory, stating that they were looking forward to working with each other and hoped “to work together in different fields that serve the common interests of our countries”.

Christophe Lemoine said the French Foreign Ministry’s spokesperson, Christophe Lemoine. He stated that the results opened a new chapter for Lebanon. Lemoine called for Aoun to be succeeded by a strong, capable government, capable of reforms, for “Lebanon’s economic recovery, security, and sovereignty”.

Jeanine Hennis Plasschaert is the UN’s special coordinator for Lebanon. She welcomed this election as “a long-awaited step towards filling Lebanon’s political vacuum and institutional vacuum”.

She said, “A prime minister must be appointed and a cabinet formed immediately.”

Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s fourth president in a row and fifth army commander, is the country’s fifth leader.