Lebanon’s new president attends parade for Independence Day

Lebanese soldiers marched in formation and helicopters flew overheard in a military parade in central Beirut on Tuesday headed by the newly elected president, the first such celebration in two years, to mark the country’s Independence Day.

Lebanon’s parliament elected 83-year-old Aoun, a former general, as president last month, ending a two-and-half-year deadlock that left Lebanon without a president. The breakthrough, which ended months of a government paralysis, enabled the Tuesday celebrations and raised hopes that a new Cabinet can also be assembled by Tuesday.

Hariri didn’t name names, but local media has reported the struggle between Hariri and Aoun on one side and powerful Shia parliament speaker Nabih Berri over the government line-up. At stake is the distribution of the most powerful portfolios, including the Defence Ministry.

The political parties are also bickering over amending the current election law which divides seats among the different religious sects. The current parliament has failed to amend the law, and has extended its mandate twice amid criticism. New elections are scheduled for May 2017.

According to the agreement that brought an end to the 15-year civil war in 1990, Lebanon’s president must be a Maronite Christian, the premier a Sunni Muslim and the parliament speaker a Shia. The government must reflect each sects’ respective power, an often daunting task that is worked out mostly in backdoor bargaining among the country’s traditionally fragmented politicians.

Meanwhile, the civil war raging in neighbouring Syria for nearly six years has highlighted the fault lines in Lebanon, as different groups have allied with rival sides in the conflict. Many fear the spillover from Syria would undo years of relative stability in this country of 4.5 million.

A Christian leader and strong ally of the Shia Hizballah group, Aoun was elected by parliament as president on Oct.31, after Hariri endorsed him, ending the longstanding deadlock between the old-time foes. Hariri is a longtime critic of Hezbollah’s support for the Syrian government in that country’s ongoing war. The militant party has sent thousands of its members to fight alongside the government’s troops.

In an Independence Day speech on Monday evening, Aoun urged Lebanese to protect their unity against the region’s instability.