The Lebanese parliament elected the commander-in-chief of the army as president, thus ending a two-year vacuum in the country's governance.
The candidacy of Joseph Aoun was supported by several key political parties, as well as the United States of America (USA), France and Saudi Arabia.
Power in Lebanon is divided between religious communities, and the presidential function, which is mostly protocol, is reserved for a follower of the Christian Maronite Church.
Aoun's rival, backed by Hezbollah, a powerful Shiite Muslim military organization and Iran-backed political party, backed down on Wednesday and backed the military commander.
The election of a new president comes six weeks after Lebanon agreed to a ceasefire to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
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The Lebanese army, headed by Aoun since 2017, has not taken part in the conflict and has a key role in the ceasefire agreement.
It was required to send troops to southern Lebanon when Israeli troops withdraw and to ensure that Hezbollah armed forces are not present in the area by January 26.
Hezbollah also lost one of its most important allies as they rebels overthrew President Bashar al-Assad in neighboring Syria in December 2024.
"A new phase in the history of Lebanon" has begun, Aoun said on Thursday after his election to the post of president.
The 13-year-old promised that during his six-year term, he would ensure that representatives of the Lebanese state "are the only ones who have the right to bear arms", a message that also applied to Hezbollah, which before the XNUMX-month conflict was believed to have a stronger army than the state to oppose it. Israel.
Aoun said that one of his priorities is the reconstruction of the country after the destruction caused by "Israeli aggression" in southern Lebanon, the southern suburbs of Beirut and in the Beka Valley in the east, which, according to the World Bank's estimate, will cost 8,5 billion dollars.
He also promised political and economic reforms, which many consider necessary in a country affected by a number of crises.
In addition to the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel, the country is going through one of the worst economic crises in the last six years.
Previously, in 2020, 200 people were killed in an explosion in the port of Beirut.
"We want peace in the country.
"We hope that he will be able to fulfill at least half of what he promised," said Salim Nasr, a resident of the village where Aun is from, to Agence France-Presse.
As president, Aoun will not be able to make executive decisions.
He has the power to sign laws into force, hold consultations with political parties to elect a prime minister and approve the composition of the cabinet before it is voted on by MPs.
Lebanon has been without a normally functioning government since the last parliamentary elections held in May 2022.
Technical Prime Minister Najib Mikati failed to secure support for a new cabinet before the end of previous President Michel Aoun's term in October 2022.
The deeply divided parliament then failed to vote in a new president during 12 attempts.
Neither Hezbollah nor its opponents managed to secure enough parliamentary votes for the candidates.
Many deputies abstained during the voting, there were invalid votes or there was no quorum.
The way to elect a new president was opened after Suleiman Frangi, the leader of the Hezbollah-backed Marada movement for two years, withdrew from the presidential race on Wednesday.
Aoun was elected in the second round of voting, thanks to the votes of 99 deputies, and because he was supported by Hezbollah and its ally the Amal Movement.
Immediately after the new president was elected, television broadcasted scenes of celebration across the country.
UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon Jeanine Hennis-Plachert said that the election of the president is "the long-awaited first step towards overcoming the political and institutional vacuum in Lebanon and providing the functional state institutions that the Lebanese people deserve".
"The prime minister must be appointed and the government formed without delay. The tasks before the Lebanese state are too important to waste time," she added.
Aoun will "provide key leadership as Lebanon and Israel fully implement a cessation of hostilities," US President Joe Biden said.
"I firmly believe that he is the right leader for this time," he added.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Aoun on what he called "crucial elections" that "pave the way for reforms, the restoration of sovereignty and the progress of Lebanon."
The Iranian embassy also sent congratulations and said it looks forward to working with Lebanon.
I hope Aoun's election will contribute to stability in Lebanon and "good neighborly relations," said Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar.
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