The president of the Lebanese Republic is the head of state of Lebanon. The president is elected by the parliament for a term of six years, which is not immediately renewable. By convention, the president is always a Maronite Christian who is at least 21 years old. The current president is Michel Aoun.
History
From the expiration of the term of President Michel Suleiman in May 2014 until October 31, 2016, the parliament was unable to obtain the majority required to elect a president, and the office was vacant for almost two and a half years, despite more than 30 votes being held. On October 31, 2016, the parliament finally elected Michel Aoun as President.
Office
Qualifications
The constitution requires the president hold the same qualifications as a member of Parliament, which are Lebanese citizenship and attainment of the age of twenty-five. Though not specifically stated in the constitution, an understanding known as the National Pact, agreed in 1943, customarily limits the office to members of the Maronite Christian faith. This is based on a gentlemen's agreement between Lebanon's Maronite Christian president Bechara El Khoury and his Sunni Muslimprime ministerRiad Al Solh, which was reached in 1943, when Lebanon became independent of France, and described that the president of the Republic was to be a Maronite Christian, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of Parliament a Shia Muslim. Article 50 of the constitution of Lebanon requires the president to take an oath upon assuming office, which is prescribed thus:
Role and responsibilities
As described in the constitution, the president is commander-in-chief of the Lebanese Armed Forces and security forces; may appoint and dismiss the prime minister and cabinet; promulgates laws passed by Parliament; may also veto bills; and may dissolve Parliament. In addition, he may also issue "emergency" legislation by decree. In practice, however, Lebanon being a parliamentary republic, the president is essentially the repository of reserve powers and the office is largely symbolic. Nevertheless, the president remains by far and large the most important member of the executive, and his veto on any legislation de facto ensures that it will not be law. This is despite his powers having been somewhat moderated under Ta'if, notably with the increase in the powers of the Cabinet; nevertheless, these reforms have not substantially altered the president's power, as he is still the sole person who can nominate and fire the prime minister and the Cabinet. His major responsibilities include:
Issue the decree appointing the prime minister independently.
Issue the decree forming the government, co-signed by the prime minister. The government must then receive a vote-of-confidence by the Chamber of Deputies in order to become active.
Fire the prime minister. This automatically fires the entire government, meaning every minister.
Fire an individual minister. Requires confirmation of 2/3 of the cabinet and the signature of the PM. If more than 1/3 of the ministers constituting the initial government are fired/resign, then the entire government is considered resign.
Veto bills passed by the parliament and the cabinet. The veto can be overridden by the Chamber of Deputies through a constitutional procedure. The cabinet cannot override the President.
Sign decrees concerning a specific ministry. Countersigned by the PM and ministers involved.
Negotiate and ratify international treaties. All treaties must be approved by 2/3 of the cabinet before entering into force. Treaties involving spending that cannot be cancelled every new year must also be approved by Parliament.
Dissolve the parliament. Must be countersigned by the PM, and requires a 2/3 approval of the cabinet.
Pass "emergency decrees" without the parliament's approval. Requires a half + 1 majority of the ministers. To pass emergency decrees without the parliament's approval, the parliament must spend 40 days without taking any action on a bill that was previously declared urgent by the president.
Previously to Ta'if, the president only needed the "favourable advice" of his ministers, rather than a clear consensus/majority. Nevertheless, while it may seem that the president is a "symbolic role" or significantly subjected to the will of his ministers, constitutionally, it is not so. The president retains the right to fire the entire government at will, and is still the person who nominates every minister - thereby effectively ensuring that they will all be favorable to him. In practice, the president's office has been weakened because of a) no clear majorities of parties and blocs in Parliament, b) the election of "consensus" the formation of divided cabinets. The perceived weakness of the president is thus rooted in political, rather than constitutional, issues.
Symbolic roles and duties
Following the ratification of the Ta'if Accord, the Constitution laid out a preamble for the three "key" executive posts: the president, the prime minister, and the Council of Ministers. The preamble states the following: The posts that come with the presidency are as follow:
The president's car is a W221 Mercedes-Benz S 600 Guard armoured limousine and it is escorted by the Republican Guard's SUVs and other security vehicles including the preceding official state car, an armoured W140 S 600 now possibly used as a back up limo.
Election
Thirty to sixty days before the expiration of a president's term, the speaker of the Chamber of Deputies calls for a special session to elect a new president, which selects a candidate for a six-year term on a secret ballot in which a two-thirds majority is required to elect. If no candidate receives a two-thirds majority, a second ballot is held in which only a majority is required to elect. An individual cannot be reelected president until six years have passed from the expiration of his or her first term.
Quorum for an election
The Constitution is silent on the issue of the quorum needed to call to order a parliamentary presidential electoral meeting. In the absence of a clear provision designating the quorum needed to elect the president, the constitution is open to differing interpretations. According to one view on the issue, a quorum constituting a majority of fifty-percent plus one is sufficient for a parliamentary presidential electoral meeting. Another view on the issue argues that the quorum is a two-third majority of the total members of Parliament as Article 49 of the constitution requires a two-third voting majority to elect the president in the first round and, if the quorum were half plus one, there would have been no need to require the two-third voting majority when the number of deputies present at the meeting does not exceed the quorum.
