After 12 failed attempts over 2 years, Lebanon's parliament will try to pick a president

Описание: (9 Jan 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Beirut, Lebanon - 9 January 2025
1. Exterior of Lebanese parliament
2. Wide of soldiers
3. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Simon Abiramia, member of Lebanese parliament:
“Today, we will be with General Joseph Aoun, of course, we respect the choices of all our fellow deputies, but I want to say that from now until 11 o'clock, specifically our partners in the homeland, the duo, Hezbollah and the Amal Movement, will be with us in this consensus to begin a new phase for the benefit of Lebanon.”
4. Wide of soldiers
5. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Edgard Traboulsi, member of Lebanese parliament:
“Yes, today we see a new president for the Lebanese Republic and a restructuring of power.”
Reporter: "Will you vote for Joseph Aoun today?"
Traboulsi: "We only want to preserve the constitution, and therefore it is impossible for us to elect the army commander today.”
6. Various of MPs arriving at parliament
STORYLINE:
Lebanon’s parliament was on Thursday set to make yet another effort to elect a president, filling a vacuum that's lasted for more than two years.

While 12 previous attempts have failed to choose a successor to former President Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022, there are indications that Thursday's vote may produce a head of state.

Lawmakers arriving at parliament on Thursday expressed hope "to begin a new phase for the benefit of Lebanon.”

The leading candidate is Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun, no relation to the former president.

He is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, the leader of a small Christian party in northern Lebanon with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

However, on Wednesday, Frangieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, apparently clearing the way for the army chief.

Lebanon’s fractious sectarian power-sharing system is prone to deadlock, both for political and procedural reasons.

The small, crisis-battered Mediterranean country has been through several extended presidential vacancies, with the longest lasting nearly 2 1/2 years between May 2014 and October 2016.

It ended when former President Michel Aoun was elected.

As a sitting army commander, Joseph Aoun is technically barred from becoming president by Lebanon's constitution.

The ban has been waived before, but it means that Aoun faces additional procedural hurdles.

Under normal circumstances, a presidential candidate in Lebanon can be elected by a two-thirds majority of the 128-member house in the first round of voting, or by a simple majority in a subsequent round.

But because of the constitutional issues surrounding his election, Aoun would need a two-thirds majority even in the second round.

Other contenders include Jihad Azour, a former finance minister who is now the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund; and Elias al-Baysari, the acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency.

A president is needed to appoint a permanent prime minister and cabinet. The caretaker government that has run Lebanon for the last two years has reduced powers because it was not appointed by a sitting president.

The next government will face daunting challenges apart from implementing the ceasefire agreement that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war and seeking funds for reconstruction.






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