Former Lebanese Army Chief Michel Aoun was elected the president of the country on Monday. As many as 83 MPs voted in favour of him, much more than the requisite 65. The 81-year-old leader will be Lebanon's 13th president since the country gained independence from France in 1943.

With his election, Lebanon will have a head of state after 29 months. Since former President Michel Suleiman stepped down in May 2014, 45 sessions have been held to elect a new leader. However, political infighting did not allow the 128-member Parliament to form a quorum.

The political stalemate ended on October 20 when Saad Hariri, the former prime minister who heads the largest bloc in the Parliament, endorsed Aoun. The deal stipulated that Hariri will become the next prime minister of the country. According to the country’s power-sharing system, the presidency is reserved for Maronite Christians only. Meanwhile, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim and the speaker of parliament is a Shia Muslim, reported BBC.

Aoun, who spearheads the Free Patriotic Movement, rose to prominence during Lebanon's civil war. He was known as an anti-Syrian commander of the Christian-dominated Lebanese Army. According to Al Jazeera, he will return to the presidential palace 26 years after he was forced out of it by the Syrian and Lebanese troops.

People celebrated Aoun’s election with fireworks. Thousands of his supporters assembled in major squares and streets for celebrations.