In the center, the vacant chair of the President of the Republic at the Presidential Palace of Baabda, on May 21, 2008. (Credit: HO/Dalati and Nohra/AFP archives)
BEIRUT — The presidential palace in Baabda, tenantless for more than two years, is prepared to host a new head of state in the lead up to Thursday's parliamentary session to elect one. The residence has hosted Lebanese presidents since the 1960s and never ceased operations, despite there being no predecessor to Michel Aoun following the end of his term as president on Oct. 30, 2022.A high-ranking source at the residence, who requested anonymity 'out of respect for the incoming president,' said that "everything has been ready for several months, almost six.""If we had stopped functioning, we wouldn't be ready for tomorrow."Presidential guard at Baabda during Israeli bombingsAccording to the source, the vacancy in the presidency was used as an opportunity for "maintenance and renovation work,...
BEIRUT — The presidential palace in Baabda, tenantless for more than two years, is prepared to host a new head of state in the lead up to Thursday's parliamentary session to elect one. The residence has hosted Lebanese presidents since the 1960s and never ceased operations, despite there being no predecessor to Michel Aoun following the end of his term as president on Oct. 30, 2022.A high-ranking source at the residence, who requested anonymity 'out of respect for the incoming president,' said that "everything has been ready for several months, almost six.""If we had stopped functioning, we wouldn't be ready for tomorrow."Presidential guard at Baabda during Israeli bombingsAccording to the source, the vacancy in the presidency was used as an opportunity for "maintenance and renovation work,...
