MPs Michel Moawad, Fouad Makhzoumi, Michel Doueihy, Waddah Sadek, and Mark Daou were received by the French special envoy, Jean-Yves Le Drian, and the French ambassador to Lebanon, Hervé Magro, at the Palais des Pins, on Jan. 7, 2025. (Credit: NNA)
On the eve of the election, the road to Baabda has opened for the commander of the Lebanese army, Joseph Aoun. After two years of vacancy, several parliamentary blocs and former presidential candidates have expressed their support for the army chief, who enjoys backing from the international community. All signs now appear favorable, especially since the Amal Movement, led by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, will support his candidacy if a "majority" emerges in his favor, even before the start of Thursday's parliamentary electoral session, according to a source close to the party cited by L'Orient-Le Jour.
Barring yet another unexpected reversal, the army chief is expected to be elected during Thursday’s session. This breakthrough was made possible by the final push from the special envoy of the French president to Lebanon, Jean-Yves Le Drian, who conducted a round of meetings with Lebanese political leaders. This coincided with the arrival in Beirut of the Saudi envoy, Yazid bin Farhan.
Le Drian's first stop was Ain al-Tineh, where he met with Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, accompanied by French Ambassador Hervé Magro, according to the state-run National News Agency (NNA).
He later met with the head of Hezbollah's parliamentary bloc, MP Mohammad Raad, who was joined by the French ambassador and a delegation. The meeting covered "the current political situation at the local and regional levels, as well as the Lebanese presidential election," according to Lebanese channel Al-Jadeed. Raad told Le Drian that Hezbollah "will not obstruct a consensus around the name of the future president."
Local media reported that Le Drian conveyed the Quintet's backing for the candidacy of Lebanese Army Commander Joseph Aoun. The Quintet, comprising France, Saudi Arabia, the U.S., Qatar and Egypt, has been working to resolve Lebanon’s political deadlock.
Earlier in the day, Le Drian and Magro hosted a breakfast at the Résidence des Pins with MPs from the anti-Hezbollah "Renewal Bloc" and MPs from the Oct. 17, 2019 protest movement.
Following the meeting, Zgharta MP Michel Moawad, a former presidential candidate and Renewal Bloc representative, said there was a growing consensus among participants in favor of Aoun. Other MPs, including Fouad Makhzoumi (Beirut), Michel Doueihy (Zgharta), Waddah Sadek (Beirut II), and Mark Daou (Aley), stressed the need to "end the presidential vacancy during the decisive electoral session on Jan. 9 to restore state sovereignty and authority," Moawad said in a post on X.
Separately, opposition MPs gathered at Kataeb party headquarters in Saifi, while members of the "National Moderation" bloc, including former Hariri allies, also announced their support for Aoun.
Saudi Envoy’s Visit
Lebanon has been without a president for more than two years, as Parliament repeatedly failed to elect a successor to Michel Aoun due to a lack of quorum. After more than a year without a parliamentary session focused on the presidency, Berri has called for a new voting session on Thursday, Jan. 9.
Ahead of the session, Saudi envoy Farhane arrived at Beirut’s Rafik Hariri International Airport on Wednesday morning, according to the NNA. This marks his second visit to Lebanon in five days. Saudi Arabia has been actively involved in efforts to address Lebanon’s political crisis. Before these visits by French and Saudi representatives, U.S. envoy Amos Hochstein was in Beirut on Monday and Tuesday.
The “National Consensus” parliamentary bloc, which includes Sunni MPs close to Hezbollah, declared in a statement their support for the election of Joseph Aoun as President.
The bloc emphasized the need to "restore political order in the country, ending the prolonged presidential vacuum, and initiating a rescue process on various political and economic fronts."
"Out of concern for national unity, and after consultations among its members, the 'National Accord' bloc, with their serious efforts over the past weeks to achieve consensus on a candidate who garners the highest number of votes and possesses a unifying personality rather than a divisive one, announces their endorsement of the election of Joseph Aoun as President tomorrow's session," the statement read.
"General Aoun has demonstrated exceptional competence in managing the military institution under the most challenging circumstances, overcoming crises and obstacles, and maintaining the army as a cohesive and unified structure with efficiency and integrity," the statement added.
Optimism Grows
Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati expressed optimism during an event at the Grand Serail on Wednesday. "For the first time since the beginning of the presidential vacancy, I am happy because, God willing, we will have a new head of state tomorrow," he said.
Berri echoed this sentiment, telling the daily An-Nahar that there is "a will to elect the president during Thursday’s session or in the following days." He added that "electoral sessions will not be interrupted, except for Friday prayers or Sunday Mass."
Hezbollah's candidate
Marada leader Sleiman Frangieh, announced on Wednesday that he was withdrawing from the presidential race in favor of the army's commander-in-chief, General Joseph Aoun, on the eve of the parliamentary election session scheduled for Thursday at 11 a.m.
“Now that the conditions are met for the election of the President of the Republic tomorrow, and considering the current situation, I announce the withdrawal of my candidacy, which has never been an obstacle to the electoral process,” Frangieh s in a said in a statement.
“Following what I declared in previous stances, I support General Joseph Aoun (...). I wish the Parliament success in the electoral process and the country to navigate this stage with unity, awareness, and responsibility,” he continued, thanking the MPs who had voted for him during previous electoral sessions.
MPs endorse Aoun
Change MPs Ibrahim Mneimneh, Yassine Yassine and Firas Hamdan said in a statement that "the candidate Lebanon needs today is Joseph Aoun."
"Lebanon is facing a foundational moment that places a historic responsibility on the nation's MPs. We know General Aoun by his actions. He is known for his strict adherence to his institutional mandate as commander of the army and his reluctance to involve the army in the maze of Lebanese politics. He has able to manage the country's most inclusive institution, the Lebanese Army, in the most difficult circumstances Lebanon has experienced since the Civil War," read the statement.
"Respecting the provisions of the constitution has always been a top priority for us. Based on this firm foundation, it is necessary to work on securing the broadest base of votes for the election of the army commander beyond the two-thirds majority of the parliament," the three MPs added.
MP Nabil Badr also announced, following a meeting of the "New Lebanon" and "Moderation" blocks their support for Aoun's election.
Meanwhile, the Democratic Gathering bloc, which includes the Progressive Socialist Party MPs, reiterated, following a meeting on Wednesday, its support for the election of Aoun to the presidency. This bloc was the first to announce its backing for Aoun.
The bloc emphasized “the need not to miss this opportunity as a basis for overcoming the crises, initiating a new phase of restoring institutions and ensuring their regular faction, and launching the necessary reform process after the formation of the government.”
