BEIRUT: Supporters of Michel Aoun gathered in the Lebanese capital Monday ahead of a parliament session expected to elect him president and end a political stalemate of more than two years.
Lawmakers will convene at noon (1000 GMT) for their 46th attempt to elect a president but the first expected to actually produce a result.
Security was tight around the parliament and Beirut’s Martyrs Square, where supporters of Aoun’s Free Patriotic Movement (FPM), dressed in their trademark orange, have been gathering for days.
The 81-year-old former general has long eyed the presidency, and his candidacy was backed by the powerful Shiite Hezbollah movement, his ally since a surprise rapprochement in 2006.
But the key to clinching the post has been the shock support of two of his greatest rivals: Samir Geagea, leader of the Christian Lebanese Forces, and Sunni former premier Saad Hariri.
Hariri described his endorsement of Aoun as necessary to “protect Lebanon, protect the (political) system, protect the state and protect the Lebanese people”.
The streets of the capital were emptier than usual ahead of the vote, with most schools and universities closed, but Aoun’s supporters were out in force.
