Lebanon Takes Steps to Elect President After Two-Year Vacancy

Lebanese lawmakers are set to elect a president on Thursday, ending more than two years of deadlock in a crucial move to help pull the country out of its financial crisis.

Army chief Joseph Aoun is considered the frontrunner, with analysts suggesting he could be the leader needed to oversee the rapid deployment of the army to enforce a truce in southern Lebanon.

The war-torn country has been without a president since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.

Numerous previous attempts to elect a president have failed due to deadlock in parliament between pro- and anti-Hezbollah blocs.

However, a full-scale war between Israel and Hezbollah last autumn severely impacted the Shiite militant group, including the loss of its longtime leader, Hassan Nasrallah.

In neighboring Syria, Hezbollah lost a key ally after rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad last month.

With a fragile ceasefire in place in southern Lebanon since late November, the 13th attempt to elect a new head of state will begin at 11:00 AM (0900 GMT).

In a country still recovering from the scars of the 1975-1990 civil war, Lebanon’s divided political elite typically agrees on a consensus candidate before any successful parliamentary vote takes place.

International pressure has increased ahead of the session, with French envoy Jean-Yves Le Drian invited to attend the vote.

US envoy Amos Hochstein visited Beirut earlier this week, urging lawmakers to make the election a success.

A Saudi envoy also visited Lebanon on Wednesday for the second time in two weeks.

According to lawmakers who met with the Saudi and US envoys, both countries strongly indicated their support for Joseph Aoun.

Lebanon’s caretaker Prime Minister, Najib Mikati, expressed optimism on Wednesday.

“For the first time since the presidency became vacant, I am pleased that God willing tomorrow we will have a president,” he said.