Lebanese parliament elects army chief Joseph Aoun new president

Aoun won 99 votes during a second round of voting in the 128-seat parliament, according to an Anadolu reporter.

The first round of voting failed to elect a president after Aoun secured only 71 votes, while 37 MPs gave a blank vote.

A candidate needs two-thirds of the vote, or 86 lawmakers, to make it through the first stage. An absolute majority is needed in subsequent rounds.

Thursday’s parliamentary session was attended by several foreign diplomats, including the French special envoy Jean-Yves Le Druan and ambassadors of the Quint committee (Egypt, France, the US, Qatar and Saudi Arabia) that is following up the issue of presidential vacancy in Lebanon.

The presidential seat has remained vacant for over two years since the departure of Michel Aoun in 2022, during which Lebanon’s political and security landscape has been significantly impacted by escalating conflicts with Israel.

According to the Lebanese Constitution, the president must be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the parliamentary speaker a Shia Muslim.