Lebanon’s parliament has elected the country’s army chief as president, ending a power vacuum that has lasted more than two years
Joseph Aoun‘s candidacy was backed by several political parties, as well as the US, France and Saudi Arabia.
A rival backed by the Hezbollah militia withdrew on Wednesday and endorsed the commander.
The presidency is a mainly ceremonial role which is reserved for a Christian under a sectarian power-sharing system.
The election took place six weeks after Lebanon’s government agreed a ceasefire to end a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, which significantly weakened the Iran-backed Shia Muslim group.
The Lebanese army was not involved in the conflict and has a key role under the ceasefire deal, which requires it to deploy soldiers in southern Lebanon as Israeli troops withdraw and to ensure Hezbollah ends its armed presence there by 26 January.
Aoun, 60, is a career soldier who has been the army’s commander since 2017.
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