Who is Joseph Aoun, the new president of Lebanon?

Lebanese Army commandant Joseph Aoun is the new president of Lebanon.

The 61-year-old becomes Lebanon’s 14th president, having filled a statesmanlike vacuum of much than 2 years near by his predecessor, Michel Aoun – who is not related to the caller president.

Joseph Aoun’s assignment overcomes a large impasse; Lebanon’s parliament had met connected 12 anterior occasions to ballot for a president but failed to elite one.

Aoun’s enactment successful parliament came from a wide spectrum of governmental figures, and helium yet won 99 votes from the 128-seat parliament successful the 2nd circular of voting.

But who is Joseph Aoun? And wherefore did it instrumentality truthful agelong for the Lebanese parliament to hold that helium was the close idiosyncratic to pb the country?

Military experience

Born successful 1964 successful Sin el-Fil, a bluish suburb of Beirut, Aoun came to prominence during his clip arsenic Lebanon’s service commander, a presumption helium ascended to successful 2017, and which, similar the president of the republic, has to beryllium occupied by a subordinate of Aoun’s sect, Maronite Christianity.

Aoun’s authoritative Lebanese service biography states that helium enrolled successful the subject academy successful 1983, during the Lebanese civilian war.

He steadily roseate done the ranks, undergoing assorted grooming successful Lebanon and abroad, including with the US counterterrorism programme. He besides was awarded Lebanon’s Medal of War 3 times, on with respective different medals and honours.

In August 2017, soon aft taking complaint of the Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF), Aoun enactment his counterterrorism grooming to usage by launching an cognition targeting ISIL (ISIS) fighters who had spent years successful the mountainous terrain betwixt Syria and Lebanon – particularly connected the outskirts of Christian villages Ras Baalbek and Qaa successful the northeastern Bekaa Valley.

The operation’s occurrence boosted Aoun’s standing. And Aoun was besides capable to usage his years astatine the apical of the LAF to forge adjacent connections with assorted determination and planetary actors, including the United States, Saudi Arabia and Qatar – a web that has been peculiarly utile successful gathering enactment astir Aoun for the presidency.

Economic and governmental crises

Aoun’s word arsenic commandant of the Lebanese service coincided with a play of unthinkable trouble for the country.

A years-long economical situation has near millions of Lebanese struggling – galore soldiers successful the service person had to instrumentality connected 2nd jobs to get by.

The economical situation has been seen arsenic emblematic of the wider governance situation successful Lebanon. A sectarian governmental strategy has entrenched an ageing governmental gerontocracy, associated with corruption and governmental mismanagement.

The fearfulness of the Beirut explosion successful August 2020, which killed much than 220 people, added to the consciousness that the country’s rulers had wholly failed the Lebanese people.

And erstwhile President Michel Aoun vacated the presidency successful October 2022, the Lebanese parliament was incapable to hold connected a successor, contempt gathering repeatedly to vote. This near the Lebanese authorities efficaciously paralysed, conscionable arsenic enactment was needed to face the country’s economical challenges.

The instauration Aoun was successful complaint of, the Lebanese army, was besides wide seen arsenic weaker than the Shia radical Hezbollah, different origin eroding the effectiveness of the Lebanese state.

To worsen matters for the country, Israel’s warfare connected Gaza rapidly dragged successful Lebanon, arsenic Hezbollah began an speech of occurrence with Israel connected October 8, 2023, which yet culminated successful 2 months of devastating Israeli bombing and a onshore penetration that killed much than 4,000 people, and culminated with a ceasefire woody connected November 27 past year.

Opportunity

But, contempt the decease and destruction, the war’s solution did unfastened a pathway to yet selecting a president, arsenic planetary and home unit accrued to find a solution and nonstop a connection that Lebanon would statesman to rebuild.

Aoun, who lone began to beryllium taken earnestly arsenic a statesmanlike campaigner successful 2023, was the antheral to instrumentality advantage.

He kept the Lebanese service retired of the warfare with Israel, contempt the sidesplitting of much than 40 Lebanese troops during that period, and helium has besides been seen arsenic an important fig successful ensuring Lebanon’s committedness to the ceasefire, which stipulates that Hezbollah indispensable propulsion backmost from southbound of the Litani River and beryllium replaced by the Lebanese army, to guarantee that Israel volition propulsion backmost down the UN-defined borderline betwixt Lebanon and Israel.

Notably, Israel has welcomed Aoun’s appointment.

But extracurricular of the outer and home enactment for Aoun, it is hard to specify him politically, possibly 1 of the reasons for his occurrence successful being chosen arsenic president.

Not overmuch is known astir his governmental views, and helium seldom gave interviews – though successful 2021 helium did criticise politicians for Lebanon’s fiscal crisis, saying that soldiers were going hungry.

Aoun had not stated a wide presumption connected Hezbollah’s weapons arsenal, but successful his inauguration speech, helium did pledge “to affirm the state’s close to monopolise the carrying of weapons”. What steps helium volition instrumentality to enforce that stay to beryllium seen, and it volition beryllium hard to spot Hezbollah acquiescing to immoderate request for it to disarm.

The caller president besides pledged to rebuild the areas targeted by Israel, including the southbound and the Beirut Dahiyeh suburb.

His accent connected nationalist unity comes astatine a uncommon infinitesimal of agreement; Aoun’s assignment ends a bitter play of parliamentary division.

But it volition instrumentality overmuch much to beryllium to the Lebanese radical that the state has present genuinely turned a corner, and that its governmental enactment has the quality to really marque the lives of millions of Lebanese amended – a relation it has failed successful for truthful galore years.