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Christian politician Michel Aoun elected Lebanon’s new president

The country’s top post has been vacant since May 25, 2014 when Michel Suleiman left office

Michel Aoun EPA/NABIL MOUNZER

Michel Aoun

© EPA/NABIL MOUNZER

BEIRUT, October 31. /TASS/. Lebanon’s unicameral parliament on Monday elected Christian politician Michel Naim Aoun as the country’s new president.

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The 81-year-old leader of the Free Patriotic Movement won support of the majority of lawmakers.

Aoun failed to secure a two thirds majority in the first round. The second round took place in the parliament and the politician won 83 votes.

The country’s top post has been vacant since May 25, 2014 when Michel Suleiman left office. Over the past two years, Lebanon’s lawmakers failed to agree on the presidential candidate who would suit both the Muslim and Christian parties. The vote in the parliament had been put off 45 times due to the lack of a quorum.

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