Lebanese MPs have elected a staunch ally of Iran as president, ending a paralysing two-year standoff rooted in a broader rivalry between Tehran and Saudi Arabia. “It remains a priority to prevent any sparks from reaching Lebanon,” Aoun said after taking the presidential oath. The Lebanese constitution stipulates that the president must be a Maronite, the prime minister a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of the parliament a Shia Muslim. He served briefly as prime minister of one of the two rival governments established near the war’s end. Aoun remained a staunch critic of the Syrian regime.

Source: The Guardian October 31, 2016 13:23 UTC