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Hezbollah-backed candidate selected as Lebanon president

October 31, 2016 at 3:24 pm

After being without a head of state for 29 months, and having 45 failed attempts to elect a president, Lebanon has finally chosen the Hezbollah-backed candidate Michel Aoun to serve in the post. The 81 year old became president by winning the support of 83 MPs; he needed at least 65 MPs to back him.

While some see this as a positive step, many analysts fear that Aoun’s victory will increase Iran’s role in Lebanese politics, via its Hezbollah proxy. Furthermore, while Hezbollah has increased its military strength and influence in Lebanon, the fact that it has endorsed the winning candidate rings alarm bells for the geo-political implications of the decision.

Michel Aoun served briefly as the Prime Minister of Lebanon between 1988 and 1990. In 1989, he declared war against the strong Syrian army, which led to his defeat and exile in France. He only returned to his native Lebanon in 2005, following the Syrian withdrawal from the country.