BEIRUT: Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday (Jan 9), ending a more than two-year vacancy in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis.

Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday, arrived in parliament to take the oath of office to general applause, wearing a dark suit and blue tie instead of his usual military uniform.

“Today, a new phase in Lebanon’s history begins,” he told the chamber.

Aoun faces the daunting tasks of overseeing a ceasefire in south Lebanon and naming a prime minister capable of implementing the reforms demanded by international creditors in return for a desperately needed financial bailout.

He said he would call for parliamentary consultations as soon as possible on naming a new prime minister.

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