BEIRUT (Reuters) – Lebanon’s parliament will try to elect a new head of state on Thursday, and officials see better prospects for success in a political landscape shaken by Israel’s attack on Hezbollah and the toppling of the group’s ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria.
The seat, reserved for a Maronite Christian in the sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun’s term ended in October 2022.
Although there are always many Maronite hopefuls, including the leaders of the two largest Christian parties – Samir (CSE:) Geagea and Gebran Bassil – sources say the focus is currently on the following three names:
JOSEPH AOUN
General Joseph Aoun, 60, has been commander of the US-backed Lebanese army since 2017, leading the army through a devastating financial crisis that paralyzed much of the Lebanese state after the collapse of the banking system in 2019.
As Aoun watched, US aid continued to flow to the military, part of a US policy aimed at supporting state institutions to counter the influence of the heavily armed Iran-backed Hezbollah, which Washington considers a terrorist group.
Shortly after his appointment, the army launched an offensive to clear Islamic State militants from an enclave on the Syrian border, drawing praise from the then US ambassador who said the army had done an “excellent job”.
His training included two infantry officer courses in the United States.
Lebanese politicians said Aoun’s candidacy enjoys US approval. A State Department spokesman said it was “up to Lebanon to choose its next president, not the United States or any outside actor.”
Hezbollah official Wafiq Safa said last week that there was “no veto” on Aoun. But sources familiar with Hezbollah’s thinking say it will not support Aoun.
His candidacy was also opposed by the two largest Lebanese Christian parties – the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement.
Three other former army chiefs – Emile Lahoud, Michel Suleiman and Michel Aoun – served as president.
Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said the constitution needed to be amended in order for Aoun to take over. Currently, it is forbidden for a state official to become the head of state.
JIHAD AZUR
Azour, 58, served as finance minister in former prime minister Fouad Siniora’s Western-backed government between 2005 and 2008, a period of intense political conflict in Lebanon that pitted factions backed by Iran and Syria against those backed by the West and Saudi Arabia.
Since 2017, he has been the director of the Department for the Middle East and Central Asia at the International Monetary Fund (IMF). He has a doctorate in international finance and a postgraduate study in international economics and finance, both at the Institut d’Etudes Politiques de Paris.
He first appeared as a presidential candidate in 2023, when factions including both of Lebanon’s main Christian parties – the Lebanese Forces and the Free Patriotic Movement – voted for him. He received 59 votes.
Hezbollah and its closest allies voted for Suleiman Frangieh in that session – the last time parliament tried to elect a head of state. Frangieh won 51 votes.
Hezbollah at the time described Azour as a conflict candidate – referring to his role in Siniora’s cabinet.
Azour said at the time that his candidacy was not intended as a challenge to anyone, but “a call to unity, to break down classification and to seek a common language to get out of the crisis”.
ELIAS AL-BAYSARI
Major General Elias Baysari, 60, has been acting head of the General Security Directorate since the term of his predecessor, Major General Abbas Ibrahim, ended in 2023 without consensus among Lebanese factions on who should replace him.
The security agency headed by Baysari is Lebanon’s most powerful internal security force, managing Lebanon’s border crossings and domestic intelligence operations.
He was a little-known figure in Lebanese public life until his promotion to head of General Security.
He received his doctorate in law from the Lebanese University.
