Lebanon Election 2008

On May 25, 2008, the Parliament of Lebanon elected General Michel Suleiman as president.

The office of president had been vacant since November, 2007, when the presidency of Emile Lahoud ended and the polarized government could not choose a successor.

Since 2006, when a pro-Syria faction led by Hezbollah broke the delicate coalition government, the country has been in crisis.

The crisis has turned violent in recent months with observes calling the situation the worst since the 1975-1990 civil war.

Suleiman was elected with 118 votes out of 127 parliamentary votes. He is widely viewed as a neutral figure in the ongoing conflict and his presidency was a key requirement of a peace deal recently signed in Doha, Qatar.

Prime Minister Fouad Siniora is expected to remain head of government.

Fast Facts

1. Election of president by parliament on May 25, 2008
2. General Michel Suleiman elected president
3. Lebanon has been without a president since November, 2007
4. Elected with 118 votes out of 127 parliamentary votes
5. Suleiman considered a neutral figure in the ongoing crisis in Lebanon