Lebanon’s parliament was set to make another attempt on Thursday to elect a president, seeking to end a vacancy that has persisted for more than two years.
Despite 12 previous failed attempts to choose a successor to former President Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022, Thursday’s vote offers hope of breaking the deadlock. The leading candidate is Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun, who is not related to the former president. Aoun is widely regarded as the preferred choice of the United States and Saudi Arabia, two key nations whose support Lebanon will need to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah had previously endorsed Suleiman Frangieh, the leader of a small Christian party in northern Lebanon and an ally of former Syrian President Bashar Assad. However, on Wednesday, Frangieh announced his withdrawal from the race and endorsed Joseph Aoun, potentially smoothing the army chief’s path to the presidency.
Lebanon’s complex sectarian power-sharing system has long been prone to political and procedural gridlock, resulting in extended presidential vacancies. The longest lasted nearly two and a half years, from May 2014 to October 2016, before Michel Aoun’s election ended the stalemate.
As a sitting army commander, Joseph Aoun’s candidacy faces constitutional barriers, as Lebanon’s laws prohibit an active military official from assuming the presidency. While such restrictions have been waived in the past, they add procedural hurdles, requiring Aoun to secure a two-thirds majority in the 128-member parliament even in the second round of voting.
Other contenders include Jihad Azour, a former finance minister and current director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund (IMF), and Elias al-Baysari, the acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency.
The election of a president is critical for Lebanon, as the head of state is responsible for appointing a permanent prime minister and cabinet. The caretaker government, which has managed the country for the past two years, has limited powers since it was not appointed by a sitting president.
The next government faces immense challenges, including implementing a ceasefire agreement following the Israel-Hezbollah conflict, securing funds for reconstruction, and addressing Lebanon’s ongoing economic crisis. The country’s currency has been severely devalued, the state electricity company provides only a few hours of power daily, and many Lebanese have lost their savings.
Although Lebanon reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a bailout package in 2022, progress on the necessary reforms to finalize the deal has been minimal, leaving the nation in a prolonged state of financial turmoil.
