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Lebanon Elects President Following a Two-Year Power Vacuum Signaling a Weakened Hezbollah
Lebanon has elected a president following a two-year deadlock and power vacuum, signalling a weakened Hezbollah.
Joseph Aoun’s election comes after Hezbollah had previously backed another candidate, Suleiman Frangieh, with close ties to former Syrian President Bashar Assad, who then withdrew from the race and endorsed the U.S.-trained general who has now effectively stepped down as army chief. In his acceptance speech, Aoun hailed the dawn of a “new era” in Lebanon as it seeks to rebound after a 14-month conflict between Israel and Hezbollah that ended with a U.S.-brokered ceasefire on Nov. 27. Shortly after the ceasefire on Dec. 21 Beirut’s beloved Metropolis Cinema, championed by Lebanese filmmakers as an indie cinema beacon amid bombings, despair and dysfunction, came back to life on with the inauguration of a new venue in a highly symbolic opening graced by messages of support from Nadine Labaki and Cate Blanchett.
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