Michel Aoun, the 89-year-old Christian president who presided over Lebanon's cataclysmic financial meltdown and the deadly Beirut port blast, vacates the presidential palace on Sunday, leaving a void at the top of the failing Lebanese state.
Lebanon's parliament has so far been unable to agree on a successor in the role, which has the power to sign bills into law, appoint new prime ministers and green-light government formations before they are voted on by parliament.
He secured the presidency in 2016, endorsed by both Hezbollah and rival Maronite Christian politician Samir Geagea in a deal that brought then-leading Sunni politician Saad al-Hariri back as prime minister. "Aoun's was the strongest era in all of Lebanon's history,” said Lama Nohra, a 32-year-old supporter and mother of three young children. "After all of his accomplishments, how could we not love him?"
"He was by far the worst president in Lebanon’s history" said Michel Meouchi, a lawyer and father. "I prefer a void in the presidency to him."
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