Who is Joseph Aoun, the new president of Lebanon? | Political news

The commander of the Lebanese army is Joseph Aoun Lebanon’s new president.

The 61-year-old becomes Lebanon’s 14th president and is unrelated to the new president, filling the vacancy left by his predecessor Michel Aoun for more than two years.

Joseph Aoun’s appointment clears a major impasse; Although the Lebanese parliament met 12 times before to vote for the president, it failed to elect one.

Aoun’s support in parliament came from a wide range of political figures, resulting in him winning 99 votes from the 128-seat parliament in the second round of voting.

But who is Joseph Aoun? And why did it take so long for the Lebanese parliament to agree that he was the right man to lead the country?

Military experience

Born in Sin el-Fil, a northern suburb of Beirut, in 1964, Aoun rose to prominence during his tenure as commander of the Lebanese army, a position he was promoted to in 2017 and is expected to occupy as president of the republic. A member of the Aun sect, Maronite Christianity.

Aoun’s official Lebanese army biography says he entered the military academy in 1983, during the Lebanese civil war.

He rose through the ranks in Lebanon and abroad, including various trainings related to the US anti-terrorist program. He was also awarded the Lebanese War Medal three times, along with several other medals and honors.

In August 2017, shortly after taking charge of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), Aoun used counterterrorism training to launch an operation targeting ISIS (ISIS) fighters who had spent years in the mountainous region between Syria and Lebanon. especially on the outskirts of Christian villages Ras Baalbek and Qaa in the northeast of the Bekaa Valley.

The success of the operation increased Aoun’s position. Aoun was also able to use his years at the top of the LAF to build close ties with various regional and international actors, including the United States, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar—a network that was particularly useful in rallying support around Aoun. presidency.

Economic and political crises

Aoun’s tenure as commander of the Lebanese army coincided with an incredibly difficult period for the country.

Years of economic crisis have left millions of Lebanese struggling – many soldiers in the army have had to take second jobs to make ends meet.

The economic crisis has been seen as emblematic of a wider crisis of governance in Lebanon. The sectarian political system has entrenched an aging political gerontocracy associated with corruption and political mismanagement.

The horror Explosion in Beirut More than 220 people were killed in August 2020, adding to the sense that the country’s rulers have completely failed the Lebanese people.

When President Michel Aoun steps down in October 2022, Lebanon’s parliament has been unable to agree on a successor despite meeting repeatedly to vote. This effectively paralyzed the Lebanese state, as measures were taken to combat the country’s economic problems.

The entity led by Aoun, the Lebanese army, was also considered weaker than the Shiite group Hezbollah, another factor undermining the effectiveness of the Lebanese state.

To make matters worse for the country, Israel’s war on Gaza quickly dragged on in Lebanon, as Hezbollah began skirmishing with Israel on October 8, 2023, culminating in two months of devastating Israeli bombardment and a ground invasion that killed more than 4,000 people. people and concluded with a ceasefire agreement on November 27 last year.

Opportunity

But, despite the death and destruction, the resolution of the war eventually led to the election of a president as international and domestic pressure mounted to find a solution and send the message that Lebanon would begin to rebuild.

Aoun, who only began to be taken seriously as a presidential candidate in 2023, was the man to take advantage of this.

He kept the Lebanese army out of the war with Israel, despite the killing of more than 40 Lebanese soldiers during this period, and he was also seen as a key figure in securing Lebanon’s commitment to a ceasefire that saw Hezbollah withdraw. South of the Litani River and replaced by the Lebanese army, ensuring Israel’s withdrawal from the UN-defined border between Lebanon and Israel.

It should be noted that Israel welcomed Aoun’s appointment.

But it is hard to define Aoun politically outside of his foreign and domestic support, perhaps one of the reasons for his success in being elected president.

Not much is known about his political views, and he rarely gave interviews – although in 2021 he criticized politicians for Lebanon’s financial crisis, saying soldiers were starving.

Aoun did not give a clear position on Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal, but promised in his inauguration speech to “affirm the right of the state to monopolize the transportation of weapons.” It remains to be seen what steps he will take to implement it, and it will be difficult to see him accepting any demand that Hezbollah disarm.

The new president also vowed to restore areas targeted by Israel, including the south and the Beirut suburb of Dahiya.

His emphasis on national unity coincides with a rare moment of agreement; Aoun’s appointment ends a bitter period of division in parliament.

But it will take more time to prove to the Lebanese people that the country has truly turned around and that its political leadership has the ability to truly improve the lives of millions of Lebanese. years.