Beirut – Michel Aoun, the former Lebanese army chief, has been elected president of Lebanon, ending a two-and-a-half-year power vacuum.
Aoun, 81, secured the presidency by winning the support of 83 MPs, well above the absolute majority of 65 needed to win, according to a tally of votes read out in a televised broadcast from parliament on Monday.
“In my name and the name of the Parliament, we present to you the sincerest congratulations in the election of a president for the country during these hard times,” Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri said after tallying the votes.
Aoun took the constitutional oath, promising to prioritize political stability to the country.
Lebanon had been without a head of state for 29 months after Michel Suleiman stepped down as president at the end of his term in May 2014.
