Lebanon: Welcoming new president, UN chief encourages formation of government without delay

31 October 2016 - Welcoming the election of Michel Aoun as the new President of Lebanon, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon today expressed hope that all parties in the country will continue to work in a spirit of unity and in the national interest, according to his spokesperson.

"The people of Lebanon deserve to have functioning State institutions, in accordance with their constitutional and democratic rights," Mr. Ban's spokesperson added in a statement. "The Secretary-General therefore encourages the formation without delay of a government that can effectively serve the needs of all Lebanese citizens and address the serious challenges facing the country."

The statement noted that Mr. Ban also congratulated Mr. Aoun on assuming the presidency and wished him success as the new Head of State. He also thanked Prime Minister Tamam Salam for his leadership during the challenging period in the country. Lebanon had been functioning without a president for more than two years.

In the statement, the spokesperson added that the UN chief also stressed the need to hold timely parliamentary elections.

The spokesperson also said that the UN looked forward to working with President Aoun and the Lebanese Government, with the support of international partners, to continue to help the country preserve its security and stability and improve its socioeconomic prospects.

The United Nations works on multiple fronts to assist Lebanon in forging a peaceful, stable and democratic future. The world body's efforts there include the Office of the UN Special Coordinator for Lebanon (UNSCOL) - the Special Coordinator serves as the Secretary-General's representative to the Lebanese Government, all political parties and the diplomatic community based in the country and carries out good offices work on behalf of the UN chief to assist Lebanese parties to reach peaceful and consensus-based solutions to contentious issues.