Michel Aoun, the president who was in office during Lebanon’s financial meltdown and the deadly Beirut port blast, has vacated the presidential palace
Aoun's term was also linked to the 2020 blast at the Beirut port, which left more than 220 people dead.
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.Like during more than half of Aoun's time in office, Lebanon is currently governed by a caretaker cabinet as the premier-designate has been trying for six months to form a government.
He secured the presidency in 2016, endorsed by both Lebanese Shia group 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 term was also linked to the 2020 blast at the Beirut port, which left more than 220 people dead.The son of a farmer from a Beirut suburb, Aoun's path to the presidency began in the 1975-1990 civil war, during which he served as commander of Lebanon's army and the head of one of two rival governments.