Lebanon's newly elected president, Joseph Aoun, said Thursday that "a new phase" has started for the war-ravaged country and pledged to rebuild the state, adopt a policy of "positive neutrality" and fight corruption.

Lebanon's parliament, led by Speaker Nabih Berri, paused a presidential election session for further consultations after the candidate, Lebanese army commander Joseph Aoun, failed to secure the necessary 86 votes in the first round.

After years of gridlock, Lebanon’s parliament elected Aoun, the chief military commander, as president. His win could unlock money for postwar reconstruction.

The election took place six weeks after Lebanon's government agreed a ceasefire to end a devastating war between Israel and Hezbollah, which significantly weakened the Iran-backed

General Joseph Aoun was officially announced as Lebanon's new president by Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri during a highly anticipated session. The announcement was met with significant attention as Aoun’s leadership is expected to shape the next phase of Lebanon’s political future.

Bernie Sanders is ineligible to be Lebanon's president, as he is neither a Lebanese citizen nor a Maronite Christian — the requirements for the position stipulated in the Constitution.

Lebanese lawmakers elected army chief Joseph Aoun as president on Thursday, ending a more than two-year vacancy and marking a step towards lifting the war-battered country out of financial meltdown.Aoun,

Following 13 attempts to elect a president, Lebanon’s parliament has sworn in army commander Joseph Aoun as the head of state. Mr. Aoun is the preferred candidate of the United States and Saudi Arabia.

Lebanon’s parliament voted to elect Gen. Joseph Aoun, commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces, as the country’s new president on Jan. 9.

Aoun, a 60-year-old career soldier, became the fifth Lebanese army commander to be elected as president in Lebanon's history, ending a more than two-year vacuum in the post. Since taking over the army command in 2017,