Lebanese parliament elects army chief Joseph Aoun new president

BEIRUT, Lebanon: Lebanon´s lawmakers on Thursday elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president after a two-year vacancy in the position, in a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial crisis.

Aoun, who turns 61 on Friday, arrived inside parliament to swear his oath to general applause, wearing a dark suit and blue tie instead of his usual military uniform.

“Today, a new phase in Lebanon´s history begins,” he told the chamber.

Aoun faces the daunting tasks of overseeing a ceasefire in south Lebanon and naming a prime minister able to lead reforms demanded by international creditors to save the country from its worst economic crisis in history.

He said he would call for parliamentary consultations as soon as possible on naming a new prime minister.

He vowed that the state would have “a monopoly” on arms.

“I pledge to call for discussing a comprehensive defence strategy... on the diplomatic, economic and military levels that will enable the Lebanese state -- I repeat, the Lebanese state,” he added.