Beirut (TDI): Lebanon’s Army Chief Joseph Aoun was elected president in the second round of the presidential election held on Thursday.
Aoun secured 99 votes in the second round, which was attended by 128 members of parliament, according to Lebanese media.
His victory marks the end of more than two years of presidential vacancy in the country.
In the second round, Shibli Mallat, a noable legal figure in Lebanon, secured two votes.
Of the rest, 9 legislators cast blank ballots and 13 voted for “sovereignty and the constitution,” whereas 5 invalid ballots were cast.
Aoun failed to win a two-thirds majority, or 86 votes, in the first round of the election held earlier in the day, compelling the parliament to adjourn for two hours before proceeding to a second round, where a simple majority of 65 votes was needed for victory.
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Following the election, Aoun entered the parliament building in downtown Beirut to take his oath before lawmakers and deliver an inaugural address.
Aoun acknowledged “the need for change in the country’s political system,” and highlighted “the significance of legal and judicial reform.”
He said, “Interference in the judiciary is forbidden, and there will be no immunity for criminals or corrupt people. There is no place for mafias, money laundering or drug trafficking in Lebanon.”
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Political division in Lebanon resulted in a vacant presidential post following the end of ex-President Michel Aoun’s term on October 31, 2022.
The parliament had failed to elect a president for the country in twelve electoral sessions.
A caretaker government has been running the nation during the presidential vacuum.
