Beirut () – His investiture speech drew, against the light, the portrait of a Republic in decline that only a political miracle could save. And this “miracle” has come true. Implicitly responding to the theory of the state of necessity known from French law, according to which “necessity makes the law”, the Lebanese parliament yesterday elected the commander in chief of the army, General Joseph Aounfor the presidency of the Republic. An appointment for this 61-year-old senior officer [hoy es su cumpleaños, ed.] in open violation of article 49 of the Constitution, which prohibits first-ranking officers from taking office unless they have resigned for at least two years.
However, to lead Lebanon out of a disastrous 13-month war between Hezbollah and Israel, and to break a 26-month political stalemate, a soldier was needed, and not just any soldier: a soldier described as “stubborn” but also sensitive, who does not forget that the pay of a private soldier has fallen to less than 100 dollars a month, due to the looting of the Treasury and a hole of 70,000 million dollars, the loss of which has been impacted on savers.
Of course, there was also a price to pay for this adjustment in trajectory: since yesterday, Lebanon has been “under guardianship”, as the leader of the Lebanese Forces party, Samir Geagea, declared yesterday during a television program aimed at the general public. Deputy Paula Yacoubian even ventured the expression “white coup” to describe what happened in the last few hours. But ‘the end justifies the means’.
The “protection” that Geagea speaks of is, of course, presented as “international aid of a friendly nature.” An indispensable contribution after a long presidential vacation imposed by the ‘Shiite tandem’; To which is added a war that has decimated Hezbollah’s command and brought the Country of the Cedars to its knees, with the destruction of 200 thousand homes, the internal displacement of more than a million Lebanese, more than 5 thousand dead and 20 thousand injured.
After all, with the election of Michel Aoun as president, a new era has “begun” and one more pawn has fallen on the Iranian chessboard until now; This latest development comes after the election of Donald Trump to the White House, the ceasefire agreement in southern Lebanon on November 27 and the collapse of dictator Bashar al Assad’s regime in Syria. Now, the country of cedar is no longer under the yoke of Tehran’s influence – which is still strong in its interior – but under the joint control of the United States, France and Saudi Arabia. The latter is essential to rebuild what Israel destroyed and continues to destroy in the south, as well as in the suburbs of Beirut and in the Baalbeck region of the Bekaa.
immense relief
The Lebanese population welcomed this turning point with “immense relief”, watching the parliamentary session and the election of General Joseph Aoun live on television with 99 of 128 votes. An appointment made possible thanks to the agreement on the candidacy of the Shiite tandem, which returned to reason and accepted the election of a personality who has made great efforts in the past to disarm and reserve the monopoly of the armed force only to the Lebanese State.
In his investiture speech, delivered with a strong and determined voice, and described as historic by the Lebanese press, the new head of state assured that he would call a debate on the “national defense strategy”, as Hezbollah demanded. However, he did not mention the term “resistance” or the famous triptych “army-people-resistance.” In his opinion, “only the Lebanese state has the right to wage war against Israel.” No president had said this before. To the great satisfaction of the Maronite patriarch, according to what ecclesiastical sources inform , the new head of state has promised that Lebanon will henceforth respect the principle of “positive neutrality” in its foreign relations. A value, the latter, tirelessly defended in recent years by card. Beshara Raï, energetically contrasting it with the politics of axes and alliances, a precursor of divisions.
The speech was delivered in the presence of the entire Lebanese diplomatic community, sitting on the balcony of the chamber, in particular the envoy of French President Emmanuel Macron, Jean-Yves Le Drian. The latter was finally able to taste the happy result of two years of efforts to get out of the crisis. With him was a close collaborator of the head of Saudi diplomacy, Yazid Ben Farhan, who had managed the last feverish contacts before the vote. Instead, American envoy Amos Hochstein had visited Beirut two days earlier.
Respect for the Constitution
“My mandate will be based on the principle of respect for the Constitution,” the new president admonished, words that were followed by a long and warm applause from those present that resonated throughout the chamber. I feel honored – he continued – to be the first President of the Republic after the commemoration of the centenary of the State of Greater Lebanon, at a time when an earthquake has just shaken the region, shaking alliances and overthrowing regimes. Borders are destined to change. However, Lebanon has remained as it is, despite wars, attacks, interventions (in internal affairs), aggressions, objectives and the mismanagement of our crises,” declared the new Head of State, and He added: »We face a governance crisis that requires a change in political behavior, to preserve our security and our borders. A change in economic policies, in the management of social affairs, in the concept of democracy, in Lebanon’s image abroad, in our relations with the diaspora, in the principles of responsibility and control […]. “It is a crisis of governance and of the rulers, of laws that are not applied or are poorly applied, are poorly interpreted and are poorly formulated.”
Islands of illegality
“Today a new stage opens in the history of Lebanon,” continued the president-elect, committed from the beginning to the protection of individual and collective freedoms. One after another, their manifest commitments went in the same direction. Joseph Aoun insisted on respect for the law and that “it is no longer possible, at this level, to practice a policy of double standards.” «Enough of mafias, islands of illegality, smuggling, money laundering, interference in the affairs of justice and the police. Enough protectorate and immunity for criminals, the corrupt and evildoers,” he said, before committing to “work with the new Government to approve a new bill on the independence of the judiciary.” Added to this is the urgency of making judicial appointments that had been blocked by his predecessor and namesake Michel Aoun.
The tribute of Tehran and Tel Aviv
The appointment of Joseph Aoun as head of state was welcomed by the entire international community, including Tehran and Tel Aviv. I congratulate Lebanon on the election of a new president after a long political crisis. I hope that this election contributes to stability, a better future for Lebanon and its people and good relations between neighbors,” wrote Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar in a message on X (formerly Twitter). Finally, the new president promised to convene without further delay binding parliamentary consultations for the appointment of a head of government. An executive “who will be a partner and not a rival”, underlining the importance of “competition and not clientelism and sectarianism” in the selection of officials. In this sense, it has already been agreed that consultations will begin next week.
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