Lebanon’s fragmented parliament broke more than two years of deadlock on Thursday and elected a new president. This is a crucial step in stabilizing a country trying to recover from economic catastrophe and a devastating war.

MPs overwhelmingly elected General Joseph Aoun, the Lebanese military commander, in the second round with 99 votes in the 128-seat parliament after he failed to secure the required number of votes in the first round. It was a breakthrough in efforts to form a government after more than two years of weak interim rule.

“Today begins a new phase in the history of Lebanon,” General Aoun said during his victory speech.

The vote was seen as a crucial milestone for Lebanon, and people in the capital Beirut celebrated with fireworks and gunfire as the results became clear. The crisis-hit country has experienced a series of disasters in recent years, including an economic collapse and a war between Israel and the Lebanese militant group Hezbollah that left vast areas in ruins.

Thursday’s elections – which often devolved into loud clashes – also reflected shifting balances of power in the region and came at a troubling time for Lebanon. In neighboring Syria, an inexperienced government is trying to find a way forward after years of civil war. The fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the military defeat of Hezbollah, the militia that was long the dominant political force in Lebanon, also marked a sudden loss of power for its patron Iran.

Lebanon’s international backers, including the United States, have suggested that financial support after the war is contingent on the election of a president. According to the World Bank, the war between Israel and Hezbollah, suspended during a fragile 60-day ceasefire, has caused $8.5 billion in damage and losses in Lebanon.

Since October 2022, when Michel Aoun resigned as president at the end of his six-year term, parliament had unsuccessfully voted on a replacement 12 times. Under Lebanon’s sectarian power-sharing agreement, the president must be a Maronite Christian.

Hezbollah posed a major obstacle and thwarted votes by leaving the chamber. But the group has been severely weakened by the war with Israel, and analysts noted that it likely felt it had to make concessions because of the scale of Lebanon’s financial needs.

Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc remains strong and could have thwarted General Aoun’s election, but on Thursday it ultimately threw its support behind him. The group’s candidate dropped out on the eve of the election, which was widely expected. Analysts said the war left Hezbollah with little political room for maneuver.

“It gets to the heart of the shifting balance of power in Lebanon,” said Mohanad Hage Ali, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Middle East Center in Beirut.

General Aoun is now expected to appoint a prime minister in consultation with parliament, and the prime minister – who must be a Sunni Muslim – will then form a government. Since no faction has a majority, it is unclear how long this will take. General Aoun said he would seek consultations as soon as possible.

Analysts believe the new president, who is not related to Michel Aoun, has U.S. support and is widely respected in Lebanon. He has led the armed forces since 2017, and they are the only national institution that enjoys cross-sectarian support.

“He is seen as an acceptable figure by Lebanon’s entire political elite,” said Lina Khatib, an associate fellow at Chatham House, a London-based research organization. “This is related to the perception in Lebanon that the Lebanese army is an institution that works in the national interest.”

The U.S. and Saudi Arabian ambassadors took part in the vote on Thursday, along with France’s special envoy to Lebanon and other foreign diplomats. The vote followed numerous diplomatic efforts, including a visit earlier this week by Amos Hochstein, the top U.S. envoy to the region, who met with General Aoun and urged lawmakers to break the political deadlock.

The election of General Aoun, who will step down as army chief, requires a change to the constitution, a move that already has precedent but has sparked heated debate in parliament. High-ranking officials must resign two years before running for public office.

Dozens of lawmakers cast protest votes in the first round, including one for “Joseph Amos Bin Farhan,” a mix-up of General Aoun’s name with those of U.S. and Saudi envoys that reflected some lawmakers’ anger at international influence.

Diplomats have said they hope General Aoun’s military career will allow him to continue to exert influence over the army and fully implement UN Security Council Resolution 1701 – a 2006 agreement that ended the previous war between Israel and Hezbollah ended, but did not contribute to maintaining peace. They hope it will be a blueprint for longer-term peace once the current ceasefire ends.

During his victory speech, General Aoun promised that only the Lebanese state would have weapons, which drew applause in parliament. Israeli officials expressed hope that the Lebanese army would crack down on Hezbollah’s activities in southern Lebanon.

“I hope that this decision will contribute to stability, a better future for Lebanon and its people, and good neighborly relations,” Gideon Saar, Israel’s foreign minister, said on social media.

Addressing parliament and the nation, General Aoun sought to reassure the Lebanese people that he would help restore stability in the country, promising to strengthen the state and fight corruption. He also spoke directly about the devastation of Israel’s war with Hezbollah.

“My promise is to rebuild what Israel destroyed,” he said.

Aaron Boxerman contributed to reporting.