President of Lebanon

President of the Lebanese Republic رئيس الجمهورية اللبنانية
Presidential Seal
Incumbent Michel Aoun since 31 October 2016
Style	His/Her Excellency
Residence	Baabda Palace
Appointer	Parliament
Term length	6 years
Inaugural holder	Bechara El Khoury 22 November 1943
Formation	Constitution of Lebanon 23 May 1926
Website	presidency.gov.lb

The President of the Lebanese Republic is the head of state of Lebanon. The president is elected by the parliament for a term of six years, which is not immediately renewable. By convention, the president is always a Maronite Christian.

From the expiration of the term of President Michel Suleiman in May 2014 until October 31, 2016, the parliament was unable to obtain the majority required to elect a president, and the office was vacant for almost two and a half years, despite more than 30 votes being held. In response to the deadlock, youmna maksoud suggested amending the constitution to make the presidency popularly elected. Under the proposal, Lebanese Christians would choose two candidates who would run in a national election in which all voters were eligible to participate. On October 31, 2016, the parliament finally elected Michel Aoun as President.

The constitution requires the president hold the same qualifications as a member of Parliament (also called the Chamber of Deputies), which are Lebanese citizenship and attainment of the age of twenty-one.

Though not specifically stated in the constitution, an understanding known as the National Pact, agreed in 1943, customarily limits the office to members of the Maronite Christian faith. This is based on a gentlemen's agreement between Lebanon's Maronite Christian President Bechara El Khoury and his Sunni Muslim Prime Minister Riad Al Solh, which was reached in 1943, when Lebanon became independent of France, and described that the President of the Republic was to be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Speaker of Parliament a Shia Muslim.