Lebanon’s parliament elected a new president on January 9 after a two-year political deadlock and 13 failed attempts. Joseph Aoun met the threshold for victory in the second round of voting after his rival, a Hezbollah-backed candidate called Suleiman Frangieh, withdrew from the race.

Move boosts Joseph Aoun's chances of securing presidency during parliamentary session scheduled for Jan. 9 - Anadolu Ajansı

The leading candidate is Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun, no relation to the former president. He is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah.

The Lebanese Parliament on Thursday elected the commander of the Lebanese armed forces Gen. Joseph Aoun as the country's next president. Why it matters: Lebanon hasn't had a president for more than two years while the country's leaders tried to reach consensus on a candidate,

Hezbollah — which has been weakened politically and militarily by the war with Israel — previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, the leader of a small Christian party in northern Lebanon with close ties to former Syrian president Bashar ...

Lebanon's parliament is set to convene Thursday to attempt to elect a head of state for the 13th time during a more than 2-year-long presidential vacuum.

Joseph Aoun now faces the daunting task of steering Lebanon toward a brighter future. However, his tenure is likely to encounter persistent resistance from his opponents, particularly Hezbollah and it

Lebanon's parliament faces a decisive presidential vote amid regional turmoil, with Hezbollah and allies shifting their support away from divisive candidate Suleiman Frangieh to potentially less controversial figures.

Lebanon's last president, Michel Aoun, left office two years ago, and the position has remained vacant since. He bears no relation to Joseph Aoun. On Thursday, the country is set to hold elections to fill the top post, potentially ushering in a new era of leadership.

Lebanese MPs are expected to elect a president on Thursday after more than two years of deadlock, in a much-needed step to help lift the war-battered country out of financial crisis.Parliament was moving closer to electing army commander Gen Joseph Aoun as the 60-day ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel approaches its end in January,