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Lebanon’s Hariri Pledges to Protect Taif Accord

PM Saad Hariri speaks at a ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of the assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra
PM Saad Hariri speaks at a ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of the assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra
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Lebanon’s Hariri Pledges to Protect Taif Accord

PM Saad Hariri speaks at a ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of the assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra
PM Saad Hariri speaks at a ceremony marking the 14th anniversary of the assassination of his father, Rafik Hariri on Thursday. Dalati and Nohra

Lebanese Prime Minister Saad Hariri pledged on Thursday to protect the Taif accord and refused to remain silent to any attempt to paralyze the government.

He pledged “not to abandon Taif, or accept the breach of Taif.”

“We are the guardians of the Taif agreement, today and tomorrow!,” the PM said in a speech delivered at a ceremony organized by his Mustaqbal movement at the Sea Side Arena Center for the 14th commemoration of the assassination of his father, former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

Hariri said that 2019 would be the year of justice that he has been waiting for to know the truth about his father’s murder.

In the ceremony, attended by representatives from all Lebanese parties, except for Hezbollah, the PM said Beirut is not a state affiliated with any axis and is not a theater for the arms race in the region.

He said Lebanon should deal with challenges to give the country a real rescue opportunity.

“President Michel Aoun, Speaker Nabih Berri and I decided to turn the Council of Ministers and Parliament into a work cell,” Hariri told the crowds.

“It is not reasonable, after all the hard work exerted at the CEDRE Conference (held in Paris last April) and with the international community, to return to the politics of no solutions or that cabinet returns to political unkindness,” the PM said.

On the issue of Syrian refugees, Hariri said Lebanon’s interest lies in their return to their country in a dignified and safe manner.

“The best thing we can do for the displaced is to work for their return to their country, voluntarily, and I emphasize on the world voluntary,” he said, while calling on the international community to take additional practical steps that end the tragedy of the displacement.

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Arab World

Lebanon Elects Joseph Aoun as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Elects Joseph Aoun as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

In a landmark decision, Lebanon elected on Thursday Joseph Aoun as its new president, following a prolonged period of political gridlock and instability. 
The election of Joseph Aoun, who previously served as the head of the Lebanese Army, comes after more than two years without a president, during which Lebanon faced a series of crises, including economic collapse and widespread protests.

Lebanon's parliament speaker Nabih Berri adjourned Thursday's session to elect a president for two hours of consultations, after a first round of voting failed to produce enough votes for Aoun.
Aoun needs 86 votes to be elected but received 71. Two political sources said he was likely to cross the 86-vote threshold in a second session on Thursday.

Lawmakers began the session amid expectations it could see Aoun elected as president following a vacancy of more than two years.
The 128-lawmaker chamber, which has failed to reach consensus a dozen times amid tensions between the Iran-backed Hezbollah movement and its opponents, started discussions at 11:00 am (0900 GMT).
Aoun, no relation to the former president, is widely seen as the preferred candidate of the United States, whose assistance Lebanon will need as it seeks to rebuild after a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah.
Hezbollah previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, the leader of Marada movement with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad.
However, on Wednesday, Franjieh announced he had withdrawn from the race and endorsed Aoun, apparently clearing the way for the army chief.
Lebanon’s fractious sectarian power-sharing system is prone to deadlock, both for political and procedural reasons. The small, crisis-battered Mediterranean country has been through several extended presidential vacancies, with the longest lasting nearly 2 1/2 years between May 2014 and October 2016. It ended when former President Michel Aoun was elected.
As a sitting army commander, Joseph Aoun is technically barred from becoming president by Lebanon's constitution. The ban has been waived before, but it means that Aoun faces additional procedural hurdles.
Under normal circumstances, a presidential candidate in Lebanon can be elected by a two-thirds majority of the 128-member house in the first round of voting, or by a simple majority in a subsequent round.
But because of the constitutional issues surrounding his election, Aoun would need a two-thirds majority even in the second round.
Other contenders include Jihad Azour, a former finance minister who is now the director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the International Monetary Fund; and Elias al-Baysari, the acting head of Lebanon’s General Security agency.
A president is needed to appoint a permanent prime minister and cabinet. The caretaker government that has run Lebanon for the last two years has reduced powers because it was not appointed by a sitting president.
The next government will face daunting challenges apart from implementing the ceasefire agreement that ended the Israel-Hezbollah war and seeking funds for reconstruction.
Lebanon is six years into an economic and financial crisis that decimated the country's currency and wiped out the savings of many Lebanese. The cash-strapped state electricity company provides only a few hours of power a day.
The country's leaders reached a preliminary agreement with the IMF for a bail-out package in 2022 but have made limited progress on reforms required to clinch the deal.