Lebanon’s parliament set to elect Michel Aoun as president

Lebanese parliament is set to elect Michel Aoun as a president to end a political stand-off that has left the post empty for more than two years, BBC reports.

The Maronite Christian former general is expected to secure a majority when MPs meet on Monday for their 46th attempt to choose a head of state, it added.

The BBC wrote that Mr Aoun is backed by the powerful Shia Islamist group, Hezbollah. His candidacy was blocked by the rival, Sunni-dominated Future Movement until a deal was struck earlier this month. It will reportedly see the Future Movement’s leader, Saad Hariri, become prime minister.

The stalemate has paralysed Lebanon’s government, which is also struggling to deal with deep divisions over the five-year civil war in neighbouring Syria and the arrival of more than one million refugees.