Ahead of Thursday’s parliamentary sessions, Lebanon had experienced a total of 12 unsuccessful attempts to elect a president within the previous two years. The parliamentary bloc affiliated with Hezbollah disclosed that they had supported Michel Aoun during the second round of voting as a means to further “national cohesion.” However, they chose to abstain from voting during the initial round in order to convey a particular message.
“We wanted to send a message… that we are defenders of sovereignty,” stated Mohammad Raad, the head of the Hezbollah bloc while addressing reporters. Subsequently, Michel Aoun secured victory with 99 parliamentary votes out of the total 128 cast during the second round of votes.
In accordance with Lebanon’s confessional power-sharing system, the position of president is traditionally held by a Maronite Christian. To access more news and newsletters from CNN, please sign up for an account at CNN.com.
