BEIRUT: Lebanon’s lawmakers voted for a second time in the day on Thursday (Jan 9) to elect a much-needed president, with army chief Joseph Aoun expected to win.
The Mediterranean country has been without a president since the term of Michel Aoun – not related – ended in October 2022, with tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents scuppering a dozen previous votes.
But international pressure has mounted for a successful outcome with just 17 days remaining in a ceasefire to deploy Lebanese troops alongside UN peacekeepers in south Lebanon after a Hezbollah-Israel war last autumn.
Aoun, who will turn 61 on Friday, is widely seen as the preferred pick of army backer the United States, as well as regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.
But lawmakers from the pro-Hezbollah bloc voted blank in the first round of the vote, a source close to them said, leaving the army chief short of the required two-thirds majority to win outright.
The source said representatives from the bloc met Aoun at the parliament during a break before lawmakers returned for a second vote.
In the commander’s home village of Aishiyeh in south Lebanon, residents had gathered from the morning in front of the church, adorned with several Lebanese flags and his portrait.
The president’s powers have been reduced since the end of the 1975 to 1990 civil war. But filling the position is key to overseeing consultations towards naming a new prime minister to lead a government capable of carrying out reforms demanded by international creditors.
