Arab Leaders Congratulate Lebanon’s New President Joseph Aoun

Warm congratulations were given to Joseph Aoun, the newly elected president of Lebanon, by Arab leaders and regional organizations on Thursday. They hailed his victory as a significant step toward reestablishing political stability and fortifying state institutions in the country beset by turmoil.

In a second round of parliamentary voting on Wednesday, President Aoun, a former commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, won 99 votes in the legislature’s 128 seats. His election brought an end to a political deadlock that had left Lebanon without a president for more than two years, following the departure of former President Michel Aoun in October 2022.

Saudi Arabia was among the first nations to congratulate Aoun on his election. In a telegram congratulating the Lebanese president and the brotherly people of Lebanon, King Salman bin Abdulaziz expressed his “best wishes for success and prosperity.” In an independent statement, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman repeated these comments, highlighting aspirations for “success and advancement for the Lebanese president and the Lebanese people.”

Given that Lebanon is still dealing with one of the greatest financial crises in its history, the Saudi leadership’s heartfelt congratulations are interpreted as an indication of their support for the country’s attempts to reconstruct its political and economic institutions.

Iraq’s Prime Minister, Mohammed Shia al-Sudani, also expressed his congratulations, taking to his official account on X (formerly Twitter) to praise Lebanon’s completion of its long-stalled presidential election. “We wish President Aoun success in his important duties,” al-Sudani wrote, calling the election an essential step “on the path to consolidating stability and strengthening the state of institutions.”

Jordan’s King Abdullah II joined the chorus of congratulations, sending a heartfelt message to Aoun. According to a press release by the Royal Court, the Jordanian king “made warm fraternal greetings” and hope that Aoun will contribute to the continuation of the progress of Lebanon and the prosperity of its citizens.

Palestinian president, Mahmoud Abbas, also sent greetings to the new president of the country, and underscored particularly the strong connections between Palestinian and Lebanese populations. In the PA news agency WAFA’s press release, Abbas announced warm relations and cooperation between Palestine and Lebanon during the period of Aoun’s presidency.

Aoun’s election is a turning point in Lebanon that has been struggling with political paralysis, economic meltdown and mounting social unrest in recent years. The long presidential vacuum had worsened the sociopolitical condition of the country characterized by not only a stalled transaction of conventional state functions outside of its sphere of expertise, but also the deeper breakdown of elite political social capital.

Observers have witnessed that Aoun’s leadership and military backgrounds combined render him a leader who can cut across the political divisions in the Lebanese political scene as a country, divided as Lebanon is. His term is projected to center on the reintegration of state structures, on the implementation of economic reforms and on the fulfilment of agreements related to the maintenance of security and stability, particularly under the current Lebanon’s geopolitical situation of fragility.

That wave of welling messages from Arab leaders stresses the importance of the Lebanese stability for the entire area. As Lebanon, at this point, seeks to turn the page, regional and international actors declare that they are encouraged by the sense of leadership of Aoun as an offshoot of long-sought reforms and recovery of the feeling of normalcy in the country.

In the Lebanese society, Aoun’s election is a light at the end of tunnel of the period of doubts, suffering and tribulation. The road lies ahead is still rough, but the support of Arab leaders clearly shows a shared agenda to help the distressed Lebanon rebuild and flourish for many years to come.