The army's commander-in-chief will likely need the support of at least one of the two Shiite blocs. Photo taken from the Parliament's Flickr account.
Contrary to expectations, the Jan. 9 session will not be an arena for democratic competition between several candidates. The wave of support for the candidacy of the army chief, Joseph Aoun, on Wednesday confirms his position as a favorite among a majority of the parties involved, especially since the international community is also pushing for his election as President of the Republic. According to the tally by L’Orient-Le Jour, based on the latest available information as of Wednesday at 10 p.m., the army chief should be able to count on at least 76 votes during Thursday's session. Although high, this score is not sufficient, as it does not guarantee him the two-thirds majority (86 votes) needed to amend the Constitution and allow the election of a first-category official. In this context, Joseph Aoun will likely need to convince at...
Contrary to expectations, the Jan. 9 session will not be an arena for democratic competition between several candidates. The wave of support for the candidacy of the army chief, Joseph Aoun, on Wednesday confirms his position as a favorite among a majority of the parties involved, especially since the international community is also pushing for his election as President of the Republic. According to the tally by L’Orient-Le Jour, based on the latest available information as of Wednesday at 10 p.m., the army chief should be able to count on at least 76 votes during Thursday's session. Although high, this score is not sufficient, as it does not guarantee him the two-thirds majority (86 votes) needed to amend the Constitution and allow the election of a first-category official. In this context, Joseph Aoun will likely need to convince...
'American sponsorship is a guarantee,' says Lebanese-American coordination committee