(ZENIT News / Beirut, 01.09.2024).- After more than a two year of political paralysis, Lebanon has a new president: General Joseph Aoun, a 60-year-old Maronite Catholic and former commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, was elected on January 9 with 99 votes in the 128-seat parliament. His election ends a leadership vacuum that began on October 30, 2022, when former President Michel Aoun’s term expired. Despite sharing a surname, the two are not related.
A Presidency Amid Division
Joseph Aoun’s election came after months of intense political wrangling. Initial rounds of voting had failed to produce a consensus due to deep divisions between Hezbollah and opposing factions. The breakthrough occurred when Hezbollah and its ally, the Amal Movement, shifted their support from Suleiman Frangieh, a pro-Assad candidate, to Aoun.
While Aoun’s military leadership garnered bipartisan respect, his election introduces a legal complication: Lebanon’s constitution prohibits high-ranking officials who have held public office in the preceding two years from assuming the presidency. Amending the constitution will be necessary to legitimize his tenure, a challenge in Lebanon’s fractious political landscape.
International Pressure Behind the Scenes
The election did not occur in isolation. Foreign mediators, including France’s Jean-Yves Le Drian, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein, and Saudi Arabia’s Yazid bin Farhan, played a pivotal role in breaking the deadlock. Their involvement reflects Lebanon’s status as a geopolitical chessboard, where rival powers wield significant influence over domestic factions.
A Nation in Recovery
Lebanon’s political breakthrough comes on the heels of a devastating conflict. Two months of war in the south and east of the country culminated in a ceasefire on November 27, mediated by France, the United States, and the United Nations. The agreement mandates the withdrawal of Israeli forces from southern Lebanon and requires Hezbollah to move its troops north of the Litani River, while the Lebanese Army takes over security operations in the region.
This ceasefire follows years of tensions between Hezbollah, which functions as a parallel military force, and Israel. The conflict claimed the life of Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah in September 2023, marking a turning point in the group’s dominance.
Challenges Awaiting Aoun
As president, Aoun faces the herculean task of navigating Lebanon’s myriad crises. The nation remains economically crippled, politically divided, and socially fractured. In his inaugural speech, Aoun vowed to uphold the National Pact, the delicate sectarian power-sharing agreement that underpins Lebanon’s governance.
He also pledged to rebuild areas devastated by the recent conflict, framing his presidency as a chance for renewal. However, these promises come against the backdrop of a fractured political system and widespread public distrust in government institutions.
In his message to the Diplomatic Corps accredited to the Holy See, the Pope had said this January 9 about Lebanon:
“I think too of beloved Lebanon, and express my hope that the country, with the decisive help of its Christian community, can possess the necessary institutional stability needed to address the grave economic and social situation, to rebuild the south of the country affected by war, and fully to implement the Constitution and the Taif Agreement. May all Lebanese work to ensure that the country of the great cedars is never disfigured by division, but rather distinguished for “living together”. May Lebanon remain a country and a message of coexistence and peace”.
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