US-backed army chief elected Lebanon’s president, ending years-long stalemate

Lebanon’s parliament has elected its US-backed army chief to be the country’s next president, ending a years-long political stalemate and presidential vacuum.

Lebanon’s parliament has elected the US-backed army chief to be the country’s new president, ending a years-long political stalemate and presidential vacuum. Army chief Joseph Aoun was voted president after two rounds of voting. This came after a robust efforts by Saudi Arabia and the United States to rally support for Aoun, who is close to Washington and Riyadh. After he was declared president, Aoun effectively stepped down as army chief. He arrived in parliament to be sworn in dressed in civilian clothing. In his acceptance speech, Aoun hailed the dawn of a “new era” in Lebanon, vowing to disentangle the country from its myriad economic and political crises. He also made a rare promise to “monopolize weapons” under the mandate of the state, a clear allusion to the arsenal of the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah. Hezbollah is the best armed militant group in the Middle East, and until a devastating war with Israel last fall, wielded influence across at least three countries. The heavy blows dealt by Israel during the conflict, coupled with the downfall of its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in December, severely weakened Hezbollah, reviving a long-standing domestic debate about the group’s disarmament.