ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Iraqi and Kurdish leaders joined global leaders on Thursday in welcoming the election of Joseph Aoun as the president of Lebanon, after a two-year vacancy of the position.
"We congratulate our brotherly Lebanon, its people, and government on the completion of the national constitutional entitlement and the election of Mr. Joseph Aoun as President of the Republic by Parliament, wishing him success,” Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani wrote in a post on X.
"We in Iraq have always stood with Lebanon in all difficulties and hardships, and we are still determined to support the steadfastness of the Lebanese in the face of any aggression or threat that destabilizes the security of this brotherly country,” Sudani said.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Masrour Barzani also welcomed Aoun’s election as president, wishing “success in leading Lebanon towards stability and progress,” in a post on X.
Lebanese lawmakers on Thursday elected Aoun as president after a two-year deadlock and vacancy of the position. Considered a man of "personal integrity," Aoun finally replaced Michel Aoun, whose term as president ended in October 2022, without a successor until Thursday.
Immediately after being sworn in, Aoun told lawmakers, “a new phase in Lebanon's history begins,” vowing that the state would have "a monopoly" on arms after the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
"Today, a new phase in Lebanon's history begins,” Aoun, who had an apparent backing from the United States and Saudi Arabia, told Lebanese lawmakers after he was sworn in, adding he would “quickly” call for "parliamentary consultations" on naming a new prime minister and vowing that the state would have "a monopoly" on arms after the war between Israel and Hezbollah.
Soon after his election, congratulations poured in from many other countries, including the US, Israel, Iran, Qatar, and the UAE.
Heading the Lebanese army since 2017, an institution serving as a source of unity in the country, Aoun had good relations with the divided Lebanese political class.
Now that Aoun has been elected as president, he faces two major tasks to handle; overseeing a fragile ceasefire in the southern regions of the country with Israel, and naming a prime minister to make grassroots reforms to save the country from a serious economic crisis.
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