Presidential Vacuum Comes to an End in Lebanon

MP Michel Aoun is to be elected as Lebanon’s 13th head of state in a parliamentary session on Monday, ending a two and a two-and-a-half-year power vacuum.

Nearly 88 members of parliament are to elect the 81-year-old veteran Christian leader.

Lebanon has been without a head of state since former President Michel Sleiman’s term ended  in May 2014, without an agreement on a replacement.

Aoun has been a running candidate from the beginning, backed by Hezbollah, who repeatedly reiterated that the founder of Free Patriotic Movement is qualified for such post.

Parliament has met more than 40 times since then, each time failing to elect a president because of a lack of quorum.

Earlier this month, former Prime Minister Saad Hariri formally endorsed Aoun for president.

With Hariri and Hezbollah’s votes assured, a quorum of two-thirds majority of the 128-parliament has been secured to convene a parliament session today at which Aoun is expected to garner enough votes to become president.

On Friday night, Aoun also received the support of Lebanon’s leading Druse politician, Walid Jumblatt, boosting his chances even further for a vast majority in Monday’s vote.