Meet Joseph Aoun, Lebanon’s new President

BEIRUT: Lebanese army chief and newly-elected President Joseph Aoun is a political neophyte but is expected to benefit from his position as head of one of the country’s most respected institutions.

He is best placed to maintain a fragile ceasefire with Israel and pull the country out of financial collapse.

Analysts say Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday and is considered a man of “personal integrity”, is the right candidate to replace Michel Aoun - no relation - whose term as president ended in October 2022.

A dozen previous attempts to choose a president have failed amid tensions between Hezbollah and its opponents, who have accused the Shiite group of seeking to impose its preferred candidate.

Aoun has since 2017 headed the army, an institution that serves as a rare source of unity in a country riven by sectarian and political divides.

Since late November, he has been overseeing the gradual deployment of the armed forces in south Lebanon after a ceasefire ended more than a year of hostilities between Israel and Hezbollah.

Under the truce, the Lebanese army has been deploying progressively alongside UN peacekeepers in the south as Israeli forces withdraw, a process they have to finish by January 26.

The general with broad shoulders and a shaved head has stepped up talks with visiting foreign dignitaries since becoming army chief.

The man of few words should be able to count on his good relations across the divided Lebanese political class, as well as apparent backing from the United States and Saudi Arabia, to see him elected.

Aoun “has a reputation of personal integrity”, said Karim Bitar, an international relations expert at Beirut’s Saint-Joseph University.

Joseph Aoun came to prominence after leading the army in a battle to drive out Daesh ( Islamic State) group from a mountainous area along the Syrian border.

“Within the Lebanese army, he is perceived as someone who is dedicated... who has the national interest at heart, and who has been trying to consolidate this institution, which is the last non-sectarian institution still on its feet in the country,” Bitar earlier told AFP.

Aoun was set to retire last January, but has had his mandate extended twice - most recently in November.

Mohanad Hage Ali, from the Carnegie Middle East Centre, noted that “being the head of US-backed Lebanese Armed Forces, Joseph Aoun has ties to the United States”.

“While he maintained relations with everyone, Hezbollah-affiliated media often criticised him” for those US ties, he told AFP.

Washington is the main financial backer of Lebanon’s army, which also receives support from other countries including Qatar.

An international conference in Paris last month raised $200 million to support the armed forces.

The military has been hit hard by Lebanon’s economic crisis, and at one point in 2020 it said it had cut out meat from the meals offered to on-duty soldiers due to rising food prices.

Aoun, who speaks Arabic, French and English, hails from Lebanon’s Christian community and has two children.

By convention, the presidency goes to a Maronite Christian, the premiership is reserved for a Sunni and the post of parliament speaker goes to a Shiite.

After his election, Aoun will be Lebanon’s fifth army commander to become president, and the fourth in a row.

Military chiefs, by convention, are also Maronites.