Geagea says Aoun 1st president outside 'Axis of Resistance' interference

Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea celebrated the election of army chief Joseph Aoun as president, ending a more than two-year vacancy.

In an interview late Thursday with MTV, Geagea said that Aoun is the first president to be elected without the influence of the ousted Syrian regime and the "Axis of Resistance". He hailed the new president for past achievements, like refusing to suppress the Oct. 17 protests in 2019 and the army's unbiased reaction to the Tayouneh clashes in 2021.

Geagea said he was very relieved by Aoun's presidential speech in which he vowed that the state will have "a monopoly" on bearing weapons.

He added that by electing Aoun, Lebanon will resume its neighborly relations with Saudi Arabia and build a new era.

The new president will call for parliamentary consultations to name a new prime minister that would replace the incumbent caretaker government. "Our candidates for the premiership are MPs Ashrad Rifi and Fouad Makhzoumi," Geagea said.