Lebanese Army Commander Gen. Joseph Aoun in a meeting with a delegation of the Press Syndicate on Sept. 18 (Credit: NNA)
BEIRUT — Lebanon's presidency "does not concern" Army chief Joseph Aoun, he said Monday, despite months of chatter by politicians and media that he might be a contender in the race to end a nearly one-year presidential vacuum.
The country has been without a president since Michel Aoun finished his term in October 2022 with no successor in place.
During a meeting with a delegation of the Lebanese Press Syndicate, Joseph Aoun said that he "does not care about the presidency and it does not concern him." He added that "no one discussed the presidency with [him] and [he] did not discuss it with anyone."
Hezbollah and the Amal Movement support Marada Movement leader Sleiman Frangieh for president while the opposition camp backs International Monetary Fund (IMF) senior official Jihad Azour. However, local media have suggested recently that Aoun could also be a candidate as Frangieh and Azour have been unable to secure the needed votes to get elected.
A recent meeting between Joseph Aoun and Hezbollah MP Mohammad Raad suggested that Hezbollah has not vetoed the army commander's candidacy. However, Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement (FPM) have repeatedly criticized Joseph Aoun's candidacy.
Qatar and, more discreetly, the United States, reportedly lean towards the candidacy of army chief Joseph Aoun — an option that France and Saudi Arabia are increasingly convinced of. However, neither Paris nor Riyadh, nor even Washington — who often reiterate that they do not favor any one candidate, as the choice must belong to the Lebanese — have publicly expressed support for Aoun.
Talk of Joseph Aoun's potential candidacy has raised questions over whether he can actually become president. According to the constitution, active military officials cannot be elected head of state. For him to be president, he would need a constitutional amendment approved by two-thirds of Parliament, or to have waited two years after either his resignation or the end of his term as army commander.
Joseph Aoun is set to retire from the army in January with no successor in place.