As president, Aoun will not be responsible for executive decisions. However, he will be responsible for signing bills into law, consulting political parties on the appointment of a prime minister and approving the cabinet before it goes to parliament for a vote of confidence.
Lebanon has not had a properly functioning government since the last parliamentary elections in May 2022.
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati was unable to secure backing for a new cabinet before then-president Michel Aoun’s term ended that October, leaving his administration with reduced powers.
The deeply divided parliament then failed to elect a new president on 12 occasions.
Momentum built behind Aoun’s candidacy on Wednesday, when Marada Movement leader Suleiman Frangieh, who Hezbollah had backed over the past two years, withdrew from the race and said the army chief had “the qualifications to preserve the position of the first presidency”.
In Thursday’s first round, 71 lawmakers voted in favour of Aoun, 15 short of the two-thirds majority he required in the 128-seat parliament. Another 37 lawmakers – many of them reportedly from Hezbollah and its ally Amal – cast blank ballots, while 20 ballots were declared invalid.
Several hours later, Aoun was elected president after receiving 99 votes in the second round, after Hezbollah and Amal backed him.
Hezbollah lawmaker Mohammed Raad said that by delaying the election, the group had “sent a message that we are the guardians of national consensus”.
As soon as the result was announced by Speaker Nabih Berri, TV channels showed scenes of celebration around the country.
Aoun was later shown arriving at the parliament building, wearing a dark suit rather than his army uniform. He then inspected the guards before entering the chamber to be sworn in.
The UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, said the election was “a long-awaited first step towards overcoming Lebanon’s political and institutional vacuum and providing the Lebanese people with the functioning state institutions they deserve”.
“A prime minister must be designated and a government formed without delay. The tasks ahead of the Lebanese state are too monumental to waste any more time,” she added.
French President Emmanuel Macron congratulated Aoun on what he called a “crucial election” that “paves the way for reform and the restoration of Lebanon’s sovereignty and prosperity”.
The US embassy in Beirut said it was committed to working closely with Aoun as he begun “his efforts to unite the country, implement reforms and secure a prosperous future for Lebanon”.
Iran’s embassy also sent its congratulations and said it looked forward to working with Lebanon “in a way that serves the common interests of our countries”.
