Lebanon’s parliament chose the country’s army commander, Joseph Aoun, as head of state, filling a more than two-year-long presidential vacuum.

BEIRUT: Lebanon's lawmakers voted for a second time in the day on Thursday (Jan 9) to elect a much-needed president, with army chief Joseph Aoun expected to win. The Mediterranean country has been without a president since the term of Michel Aoun – not related – ended in October 2022,

General Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese army commander who was elected president on Thursday, kept his military on the sidelines of a recent war between Israel and armed group Hezbollah, ordering it to prioritise civil peace even as troops were killed.

The election of army commander Gen. Joseph Aoun garnered rare consensus among the Lebanese, backed by the United States and Saudi Arabia in the first presidential election for Lebanon following the fall of the Assad regime.

Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys US approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.

Lebanon’s parliament is set to convene Thursday to attempt to elect a head of state for the 13th time during a presidential vacuum of over two years.

Lebanese lawmakers are set to meet in an attempt to elect a president - a position vacant for more than two years - but the chances of success are far from certain. Lebanon, which has been suffering from an economic and financial meltdown since 2019,

Lebanon’s parliament is set to vote to elect a president to fill a more than an two-year-long presidential vacuum

Following tense scenes early in the session, the first round of Thursday's vote concluded with 71 votes for Joseph Aoun, the widely supported army commander. View on euronews