Most Lebanese Leaders Welcome Aoun's Election, Pledge Cooperation

The majority of Lebanon's political leaders welcomed on Monday the election of Michel Aoun as president of the republic and the end of around two and a half years of presidential and political vacuum.

"We hope there will be a national unity government for all Lebanese,” al-Mustaqbal Movement leader ex-PM Saad Hariri said after the vote. Hariri is tipped to become premier and his key support for Aoun's nomination had paved the way for the election as president of the Free Patriotic Movement founder.

Meanwhile, al-Mustaqbal bloc chief ex-PM Fouad Saniora, who had announced that he would not vote in Aoun's favor, said: “We have a president now and we will cooperate with him.”

“It's an excellent day. We have finally overcome the dilemma after three years,” Progressive Socialist Party leader MP Walid Jumblat said.

“Everyone's cooperation is important in order to confront the challenges that are facing Lebanon, in line with the president's oath of office and Speaker (Nabih) Berri's speech,” added Jumblat.

Asked whether Hariri's mission of forming a new government will be easy, Jumblat said: “We all have to cooperate and must leave the disputes behind us.”

Most of Jumblat's Democratic Gathering bloc voted for Aoun after the nomination of its candidate MP Henri Helou was withdrawn in recent days.

Marada Movement chief MP Suleiman Franjieh meanwhile congratulated Aoun, saying his election “is a victory for our political camp.”

Franjieh was Aoun's main electoral rival until Saturday, when he called on those who support him to cast blank votes.

“No one asked me to launch a call for blank votes. I took this decision to preserve my allies and not to embarrass them,” Franjieh added, referring to media reports that have suggested that Hizbullah was behind the move.

Meanwhile, Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea noted that his “cooperation” with Aoun will be “a main guarantee for the new presidential tenure.”

“The oath of office was promising in terms of focusing on building the State, the army and the economy. As for foreign policy and after two and a half years of total chaos, the new president clarified Lebanon's commitment to the Arab League charter and the U.N. charter, putting Lebanon in the place it should be in terms of foreign policy,” Geagea added.

Hariri had launched an initiative to nominate Franjieh for the presidency in late 2015 but his proposal was met with reservations from the country's main Christian parties as well as Hizbullah. Hariri's move prompted Geagea to endorse the nomination of Aoun, his long-time Christian rival.

Geagea himself had been the candidate of the Hariri-led March 14 forces for several months and he received 48 votes in the first presidential election session that was held in April 2014.

“It is Resurrection Day,” FPM chief and Aoun's son-in-law Jebran Bassil meanwhile said via Twitter.

Ex-PM and Tripoli MP Najib Miqati meanwhile saluted Speaker Berri for “the commitment of his bloc to the attendance of all electoral sessions” amid “the obstruction of those who sought paralysis.”

And while lauding Aoun for “stressing adherence to the national principles in his oath of office,” Miqati hoped Aoun's tenure will be one of “security, stability, prosperity and full respect for the Constitution and the work of the executive authority.”

Miqati also announced that he will be among the ranks of the “constructive opposition” that “takes its stances according to the performance of the president and the government that will be formed.”

Hizbullah chief Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah meanwhile called Aoun to congratulate him over his election as president, Hizbullah's media department said in a statement.

"He wished him a long life and success in his new national responsibilities," the statement added.

Analysts have warned that Aoun's election will not be a "magic wand" for Lebanon, which has seen longstanding political divisions exacerbated by the war in neighboring Syria and has struggled to deal with an influx of more than a million Syrian refugees.

The 81-year-old former army chief had long eyed the presidency, and his candidacy was backed from the beginning by Iran-backed Hizbullah, his ally since a surprise rapprochement in 2006.