The Lebanese Parliament elects Army Commander Joseph Aoun as President Politics news

The appointment breaks the deadlock that has left the country without a head of state since October 2022.

Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun was elected president of the country after a second round of parliamentary voting, breaking a deadlock that had left the country without a head of state since October 2022.

Aoun only needed a simple parliamentary majority of 65 votes on Thursday afternoon to be elected as Lebanon’s new leader.

Celebrations erupted in Parliament as Aoun reached the number of votes required for his election.

Earlier in the day, he was unable to obtain a two-thirds majority in the 128-seat parliament to become president in the first round of voting.

During the first round, he received the support of 71 members of Parliament, 15 votes short of the required 86 votes.

The Mediterranean country has remained without a president since the end of Michel Aoun’s term – unrelated – in October 2022.

Tensions between the Hezbollah movement and its opponents led to the frustration of dozens of previous votes.

But international pressure has mounted for a successful outcome with only 17 days remaining until the ceasefire to deploy Lebanese forces alongside UN peacekeepers in southern Lebanon after the war between Hezbollah and Israel last fall.

More to come…