Lebanon: Druze leader to back Aoun for presidency

Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt said yesterday that most members of his political bloc, the Democratic Gathering, would support Maronite Christian leader Michel Aoun to become president of Lebanon next week.

The announcement added to already considerable support for Aoun, who most analysts expect to expect to win Monday’s vote in parliament and end Lebanon’s two-and-a-half year wait for a president.

The top post has been empty during a period of political in-fighting that has raised concerns for the country’s stability and resulted in a breakdown in many basic services.

Jumblatt said the bloc – which controls 11 of parliament’s 128 seats – would hold a final meeting on the issue today, though were fully expected to continue to support Aoun.

Jumblatt added that most members already backed Aoun: “This [support] will be translated in a practical way on Monday afternoon,” suggesting that they would put their parliamentary weight behind the Christian former military officer.

Aoun, in his 80s, is unlikely to secure the two-thirds majority needed to win the first-round vote on Monday. However, most analysts expect him to secure the simple majority needed to win a second vote to be held the same day.

Keen to secure another term as prime minister, Sunni Muslim Saad Al-Hariri, leader of one of the largest political blocs, announced last week that he would support Aoun for presidency. This move surprised many, as Aoun is seen as a Hezbollah ally.

Al-Hariri believes that the Syrian Assad regime and Hezbollah are responsible for the assassination of his father, elder statesman Rafik Al-Hariri, in 2005.

The Lebanese presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian in the country’s sectarian power-sharing arrangement and has been empty since Michel Suleiman’s term ended in May 2014.