The Lebanese parliament elected Army Commander General Joseph Aoun as president of the country on Thursday, in the fourteenth round of voting, ending 26 months of presidential vacancy, after the term of former President Michel Aoun ended in October 2022.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri announced Army Commander Joseph Aoun as president after he received 99 votes out of 128, while 15 voted for other names, 9 submitted blank papers, and 5 votes were cancelled.

Before Aoun's election, official preparations were made at the presidential headquarters in Baabda Palace, in preparation for receiving the President of the Republic and rolling out the red carpet.

The session to elect the president witnessed disagreements and quarrels, as some MPs objected to the constitutionality of Joseph Aoun’s nomination for the presidency, because he is the current commander of the army, as the constitution prohibits the election of first-class public employees to the position. According to Article 49 of the constitution, the election of any candidate holding a government position “requires a constitutional amendment.”

There was a dispute among the representatives regarding the interpretation of the articles of the constitution, and the representatives said that these unusual circumstances allow Aoun to be nominated after two years of presidential vacancy.

Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri based his approval of Joseph Aoun’s candidacy on a similar precedent that occurred with former Lebanese President Michel Suleiman, when he was elected in the session of May 25, 2008, and he was the commander of the army at the time.

The position has remained vacant since Aoun's term ended and he left Baabda Palace in October 2022, despite the Parliament holding 12 sessions to elect the president, the last of which was in June 2023.

Joseph Aoun and the powers of the President

General Joseph Aoun, 60, has been commander of the Lebanese army since 2017, leading his forces through a devastating financial crisis that paralyzed much of the Lebanese state after the banking system collapsed in 2019.

The President of Lebanon has powers related to the legislative and executive authorities, the most prominent of which is calling for extraordinary sessions of the House of Representatives and postponing the convening of the House of Representatives for a period not exceeding one month.

In specific cases, the President may request the Prime Minister to dissolve the House of Representatives before the end of its actual term. If the Council of Ministers decides to dissolve the House, the President of the Republic shall issue a decree to that effect.

The President of Lebanon also has the right to issue laws within the specified period for their issuance, and he also has the right to request a review of the law once, in addition to his right to review the Constitutional Council regarding monitoring the constitutionality of laws.

The President has the right to propose a review of the Constitution, and the government submits the draft law to the House of Representatives. He also has the right to decide on the draft budget.