Former army chief Joseph Aoun has been elected as the new president of Lebanon.
This brings an end to a presidential vacuum that lasted over two years.
Aoun won the tightly contested election after polling 99 parliamentary votes out of 128 in the second round of votes.
Following the election, Aoun, supported by the United States and Saudi Arabia, resigned as army chief and arrived at the parliament building in civilian attire to take the presidential oath.
In his acceptance speech, Aoun said his election is the beginning of a “new era” in Lebanon, vowing to consolidate weapons under the authority of the state.
He also vowed to put an end to Israel’s occupation of the country’s territory.
“The Lebanese state – I repeat the Lebanese state – will get rid of the Israeli occupation,” Aoun said in his speech.
“My era will include the discussion of our defensive strategy to enable the Lebanese state to get rid of the Israeli occupation and to retaliate against its aggression,” he said .
Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, when former President Michel Aoun’s tenure ended.
Since then, the country has made 12 unsuccessful attempts to elect a new leader, as the militant group insisted on electing someone backed by them.
