The Secretary-General welcomes the election today of the President of the Republic of Lebanon. He congratulates Michel Aoun on assuming the presidency and wishes him success in his position as Head of State.

The Secretary-General hopes that Lebanese parties will now continue to work in a spirit of unity and in the national interest. 

The people of Lebanon deserve to have functioning State institutions, in accordance with their constitutional and democratic rights.  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. He further underlines the need to ensure the holding of parliamentary elections on time.      

The United Nations looks forward to working with President Aoun and the Lebanese authorities, with the support of international partners, to continue to help Lebanon preserve its security and stability and improve its socioeconomic prospects.

The Secretary-General further thanks Prime Minister Tammam Salam for his leadership throughout this challenging period.