On 29 September 2022, an indirect election for the Lebanese presidency was initiated to determine the successor of term-limited incumbent Michel Aoun, who took office on 31 October 2016. On 9 January 2025, Joseph Aoun (no relation to Michel), who had been serving as the Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces since 9 March 2017, secured 99 votes to win the presidential election in the second round of the 13th parliamentary session. He took office on the same day, becoming the country's 14th president and the fifth military commander to assume the role.

Under Article 49 of the Lebanese constitution, in the first round of an electoral session, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the members of the Lebanese parliament is required to elect the president. If no candidate reaches that threshold, then further rounds of voting are held, where an absolute majority of all members of parliament is sufficient to elect the president. The years-long process for this election was not without precedent; the previous election took 46 sessions with multiple rounds from 2014 to 2016. In accordance with the country's National Pact, the presidency is always held by a Maronite Christian. The incumbent president is only eligible for re-election to a second non-consecutive term.

The 2022–2025 presidential election marked the first time since 1958 that Lebanon completed an electoral process free of interference from neighbouring Syria, which routinely meddled in Lebanese internal affairs from the 1963 Syrian coup d'état until the 2024 collapse of the Ba'athist regime, including directly during the Syrian occupation of Lebanon between 1976 and 2005.

Background 2019–21 protests

Large-scale anti-government demonstrations ignited in Lebanon on 17 October 2019. Initially triggered in response to a rise in gas and tobacco prices as well as a new tax on messaging applications, This resulted in the forkward demonstrations quickly turned into a revolution against the stagnation of the economy, unemployment, Lebanon's sectarian and hereditary political system, corruption and the government's inability to provide essential services such as water, electricity and sanitation. Prime Minister Saad Hariri ended up resigning on 29 October 2019.

Hassan Diab was appointed prime minister by President Michel Aoun on 19 December 2019. His government obtained the confidence of parliament by 69 votes in its favour.

However, the country's economic situation continued to deteriorate. The government was over 95 billion dollars in debt by the end of 2020, the Lebanese pound lost 70% of its value in six months, and 35% of the active population was unemployed. Riots broke out in Beirut and Tripoli and Jounieh.

Beirut explosion

On 4 August 2020, the explosion of several thousand tons of ammonium nitrate stored in a hangar in the Port of Beirut caused considerable human and material damage across the city and the port. The final toll was 218 dead and over 7,000 injured and damage estimated at nearly four billion euros by the World Bank and estimated to have left 300,000 homeless. The industrial-port zone of the Port of Beirut was badly affected, further aggravating the economic situation. Prior to the explosion, 60% of the country's imports transited through the port.

The blast was so powerful that it physically shook the whole country of Lebanon. It was felt in Turkey, Syria, Palestine, Jordan, and Israel, as well as parts of Europe, and was heard in Cyprus, more than 240 km (150 mi) away. It was detected by the United States Geological Survey as a seismic event of magnitude 3.3 and is considered one of the most powerful accidental artificial non-nuclear explosions in history.

The Lebanese government declared a two-week state of emergency in response to the disaster. In its aftermath, protests erupted across Lebanon against the government for their failure to prevent the disaster, joining a larger series of protests which had been taking place across the country since 2019. On 10 August 2020, Prime Minister Hassan Diab and the Lebanese cabinet resigned.

The adjacent grain silos were badly damaged. In July and August 2022, part of the silos collapsed following a weeks-long fire in the remaining grain.

2022 parliamentary elections In May 2022, Lebanon held its first election since a painful economic crisis dragged it to the brink of becoming a failed state. Lebanon's crisis has been so severe that more than 80 percent of the population is now considered poor by the United Nations. In the election Iran-backed Shia Muslim Hezbollah movement and its allies lost their parliamentary majority. Hezbollah did not lose any of its seats, but its allies lost seats. Hezbollah's ally, President Michel Aoun's Free Patriotic Movement, was no longer the biggest Christian party after the election. A rival Christian party, led by Samir Geagea, with close ties to Saudi Arabia, the Lebanese Forces (LF), made gains. Sunni Future Movement, led by former prime minister Saad Hariri, did not participate the election, leaving a political vacuum to other Sunni politicians to fill.

Israel–Hezbollah conflict and fall of the Assad regime

A day after Hamas launched its 7 October 2023 attacks on Israel and Israel began its bombing of Gaza, Hezbollah joined the conflict in "solidarity with the Palestinians" by firing on Israeli military outposts in Shebaa Farms, and Golan Heights—both territories under Israeli occupation. Since then, Hezbollah and Israel have been involved in cross-border military exchanges that have displaced entire communities in Israel and Lebanon, with significant damage to buildings and land along the border. Israel subsequently invaded southern Lebanon. The Israeli offensive weakened Hezbollah; it lost many senior officials, including its leader, Hassan Nasrallah. This has eroded Hezbollah's operational and financial strength.

After the fall of the Assad regime, rebel leader Ahmed al-Sharaa stated that Syria would not interfere in Lebanese internal affairs as it had under Assad; he added that "if the Lebanese agree on Joseph Aoun as president, we will support him".

Electoral system The Constitution of Lebanon does not require candidates to explicitly stand or state any mechanism by which they can. Candidates can only express an interest in the position.

Under article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the members of the Lebanese Parliament is required to elect the president in the first round. The quorum also amounts to two-thirds of the Parliament. In the second round, a president can be elected by a simple majority of 65 deputies. There is however ambiguity on the constitutionality of the two-thirds quorum, since constitutional texts do not explicitly mention it. Some have interpreted this omission as intentional, such as legal scholar Assam Khalifeh, while Speaker Nabih Berri has relied on the opposite interpretation to enable his allies to resort to quorum-busting. An example of this would be the 2014–2016 Lebanese presidential election, where quorum would not be met for forty-three electoral sessions.

The Constitution also states that, in the last ten days of the incumbent's tenure, the powers of an electoral college are vested in parliament.

National Pact

The National Pact, an informal agreement agreed in 1943, requires that the president should be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of parliament a Shiite Muslim. The National Pact is based on an unwritten agreement concluded in 1943 between the Maronite Christian president, Bechara El Khoury, and his Sunni prime minister, Riad Al Solh, when Lebanon gained independence from France.

Candidates Declared interest Declared candidates included: Bechara Abi Younes, candidate for the 2009 Lebanese general election, engineer and president of the Environmental Rescue party Ziad Hayek, former head of the High Council for Privatization and public-private partnership (2006–2019), Lebanese nominee for president of the World Bank in 2019 Tracy Chamoun, daughter of Dany Chamoun and former ambassador of Lebanon to Jordan (2017–2020) May Rihani, international development and gender scholar, Director of the Gibran Chair for Values and Peace at the University of Maryland, former UN co-chair of the United Nations Girls' Education Initiative (2008–2010) Elias Tawileh, engineer Sayed Boutros Franjieh, businessman Elie Yachoui, Dean of the Business Administration and Economics faculty at the Notre Dame University–Louaize Chibli Mallat, lawyer and activist Samir Geagea, incumbent party leader (2005–present) Neemat Frem, CEO of INDEVCO Group and MP (2018–present)

Other potential candidates Kataeb Party Samy Gemayel, MP (2009–present) and incumbent party leader (2015–present) Nadim Gemayel, MP (2009–present)

Lebanese Forces Sethrida Geagea, MP (2005–present) and former chairwoman of the party

Free Patriotic Movement Gebran Bassil, MP (2018–present), incumbent party leader (2015–present) and former Minister of Telecommunications (2009–2009), Energy and Water (2009–2014) and Foreign Affairs (2014–2020) Ibrahim Kanaan, MP (2005–present) and Chairman of the Parliamentary Budget and Financial Affairs Commission (2009–present).

Other Joseph Aoun, 14th Commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces (2017–present). Ziyad Baroud, lawyer, professor and former Minister of Interior (2008–2011) and candidate for the 2018 Lebanese general election. According to L'Orient–Le Jour, a previous candidacy for the FPM led the opposition to veto his candidacy. Salah Honein, former MP (2000–2005) and member of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering Chibli Mallat, international lawyer, professor and candidate for the aborted 2005–2006 presidential election Jihad Azour, former Minister of Finance (2005–2008)and the current Middle East and Central Asia Director in the IMF. According to L'Orient–Le Jour, he is opposed by Hezbollah due to his participation in the first Siniora government. Samir Assaf, HSBC executive. According to L'Orient–Le Jour, he is close to Macron, and enjoys French support because of his distance from the political establishment, but may lack familiarity with Lebanese political life. Nassif Hitti, diplomat and former Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants (2020). According to L'Orient–Le Jour, he left the government in 2020 because he felt the government had allowed Abbas Ibrahim, head of the Sûreté générale, to encroach on his diplomatic responsibilities, and elicits some support and opposition in the Aounist camp. Philippe Ziade, businessman and Honorary Consul of Lebanon in Nevada Roger Dib, former Minister, member in the National Committee of Christian/Muslim Dialogue, director of the Near East Consulting Group Farid Elias El-Khazen, former MP (2005–2018), ambassador to the Holy See (2018–present). According to L'Orient–Le Jour, he enjoyed good relations with the Maronite church, and the Assad regime; he was part of Frangieh's parliamentary bloc. Farid Haykal al-Khazen, MP for Kesserwan District Georges Khoury, former head of military intelligence in the Lebanese Armed Forces and ambassador to the Holy See (2008–2018) Elias Baisary, chief of the General Directorate of General Security , former Telecommunications Minister Salah Honein, lawyer and former MP

Withdrawals Michel Moawad, MP (2018–present) and incumbent leader of the Independence Movement (2005–present) Issam Khalifeh, historian, academic at the Lebanese University and trade unionist, first president of the National Union of Lebanese University Students Suleiman Frangieh, Leader of the Marada Movement (1990–present), MP (1991–2005, 2009–2018)

Election 2022 First to fourth sessions