The United Nations Special Coordinator for Lebanon, Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert, congratulated Joseph Aoun on his election as President of the Republic of Lebanon on Thursday. She hailed the election of a president as a long-awaited first step towards overcoming Lebanon's political and institutional vacuum and providing the Lebanese people with the functional state institutions they deserve.

“A prime minister must be appointed and a government formed without delay. The tasks facing the Lebanese state are too monumental to waste time,” stressed the special coordinator in a statement, adding, ”The time has come for every decision-maker to place Lebanon's interests above any personal or political considerations.”

“The election of a president offers renewed hope and an opportunity to pave the way for progress in consolidating the cessation of hostilities and preserving the country's security and stability, including by strengthening state authority throughout Lebanon and advancing comprehensive and sustainable reforms,” the statement continues.

“The United Nations looks forward to working with President Aoun and the relevant authorities,” it concludes.

Joseph Aoun's election in a parliamentary session announced since late 2024 ended more than two years of presidential vacuum, against the backdrop of a multidimensional crisis that began in 2019 and more than a year of clashes and then war between Israel and Hezbollah, which ended with a cease-fire that came into force on Nov. 27.