After 2 years of political deadlock, Lebanon finally has a new President, Joseph Aoun. So who is this new President? What is he looking to do? And why even was there no President for 2 years?
Why did it take 2 years?
Lebanon has a complex political structure based on sectarian lines. The presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian, the prime ministership for a Sunni Muslim, and the parliamentary speaker for a Shia Muslim. This system made it very difficult to get a consensus from various political factions, especially when the initial vote for the President needs a two thirds majority. Other factors such as Hezbollah influence on government, the economic crisis also had an impact stagnating the parliament.
Recent shifts in international politics and the weakening of Hezbollah has allowed politicians to take a more proactive approach and given them the majority in the parliament need to elect a new leader.
Who is Joseph Aoun?
Joseph Aoun has served as the commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces since 2017, and is has been known for his non-partisan stance and relatively low profile. He has previously been praised for his steady leadership during different crises including battling Islamic militants, the 2019 protests and the 2020 Beirut explosion.
What is he aiming to do?
He has set out three main goals of his government:
1. He wants the Lebanese government to have a state monopoly on arms, which could be hinting at taking away weapons from Hezbollah and bringing the defence of Lebanon back into the hands of only the Lebanese army.
2. He is committed to securing Lebanon’s sovereignty, preventing Israeli aggression and protecting Lebanon’s borders with a focus on stopping smuggling.
3. He has also promised economic reforms and aims to recover frozen deposits from the 2019 financial crisis.
What can we expect now?
The election of Aoun has been received positively by the west and other regional actors such as Saudi Arabia. His next step will be to elect a new Prime Minister (the favourite being the current interim Prime Minister Nijab Mikati) and maintain the ceasefire between Lebanon and Israel.
With the election of Aoun, many are excited about the change in the political landscape of the country. This combined with the overthrowing of the Assad regime could certainly mean a shift of influence in the region as powers such as Iran and its proxies beginning to lose their foothold.
Lebanon is ready to move forward away from yet another crisis and Joseph Aoun at least for the moment seems like someone who can do something about it. With anything in this region though we suggest not holding your breath as change can be very slow. We are however excited for Lebanon and we can’t wait head back there with tours in 2025!
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