Lebanon finally set to pick a president after two years of trying

Lebanon’s parliament was set Thursday to make yet another effort to elect a president, filling a vacuum that’s lasted for more than two years.

Lebanon’s parliament was set Thursday to make yet another effort to elect a president, filling a vacuum that’s lasted for more than two years.

While 12 previous attempts have failed to choose a successor to former President Michel Aoun, whose term ended in October 2022, there are indications that Thursday’s vote may produce a head of state.

The leading candidate is Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun, no relation to the former president. He is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

Hezbollah previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, the leader of a small Christian party in northern Lebanon with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad.

However, on Wednesday, Frangieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, apparently clearing the way for the army chief.

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/lebanon-finally-set-pick-president-two-years-trying-rcna186935

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