Army Commander Joseph Aoun was elected president of Lebanon after the position had been vacant since 2022

Lebanon’s parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun as head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys the approval of the United States and demonstrating the decline in influence of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

The result reflected shifts in the balance of power in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with the Shiite Hezbollah group and its Syrian ally, Bashar al-Assad, taking a severe blow from last year’s war. He was ousted in December.

It also indicates a revival of Saudi influence in a country where Riyadh’s role has long been overshadowed by Iran and Hezbollah.

The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing system, has remained vacant since Michel Aoun’s term (no relation) ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate capable of winning enough votes in 128 seats. -Parliament seat.

Aoun did not obtain the required 86 votes in the first round of voting, but he crossed the threshold by obtaining 99 votes in the second round, according to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after representatives from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally, the Amal Movement, supported him.

Three Lebanese political sources said momentum behind Aoun grew on Wednesday with Hezbollah’s preferred candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, withdrawing and declaring his support for the army chief, and with French and Saudi envoys shuttling around Beirut to urge his election through meetings with politicians.

A source close to the Saudi royal court said that French, Saudi and American envoys told Berri, a close ally of Hezbollah, that international financial aid – including from Saudi Arabia – was contingent on Aoun’s election.

Michel Moawad, a Christian lawmaker opposed to Hezbollah who voted for Aoun, told Reuters before the vote: “There is a very clear message from the international community that they are ready to support Lebanon, but that requires a president and a government.”

He added: “We received a message of support from Saudi Arabia.”

No head of state since 2022

The election of Joseph Aoun is a first step towards reviving governmental institutions in a country that has neither had a head of state nor a fully empowered government since Michel Aoun left office.

Lebanon, whose economy is still reeling from the devastating financial collapse of 2019, is in desperate need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates has cost the country US$8.5 billion.

The country’s system of government requires the new president to hold consultations with lawmakers to nominate a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a new government, a process that can often be lengthy as factions trade off over ministerial portfolios.

Aoun plays a key role in supporting the ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel, which was brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The conditions require the deployment of the Lebanese army in southern Lebanon while Israeli forces and Hezbollah withdraw their forces.

Aoun (60 years old) has been leading the US-backed Lebanese army since 2017. During his reign, American aid continued to flow to the army, as part of a long-term American policy focused on supporting state institutions to limit Hezbollah’s influence.

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Christophe Lemoine said that the new government will implement the necessary reforms for economic recovery, stability, security and sovereignty in Lebanon, and added that France calls on all Lebanese leaders and political authorities to work to achieve these goals.