Al Jazeera Podcasts.

Today, a new chapter for Lebanon?

After two years of deadlock, Lebanon's parliament has elected a new president.

As the political deadlock breaks, who will determine Lebanon's future? I'm Malika Bilal and this is the take.

My name is Nadar Dhram.

I work in Beirut as a journalist with Middle East Eye for the most part and other freelance outlets every now and then.

Well, Nadar, welcome to the take.

More has happened in the past few days in Lebanon's politics than in the past two

years. There's a new president, and now a new prime minister is coming into focus as well. So let's

start with the moment when the wheels started turning. The election of Joseph Aoun, tell me what

happened when the announcement was made.

Yes, so lots of Lebanese people expressed a sense of hope after he gave his what they call Chitab al Qasem, which is kind of his swearing-in speech.

And he expressed lots of things that people are aspiring to see in Lebanon,

including, you know, people whose money were stolen or stuck in banks

regaining their money, corrupt individuals facing justice.

And one thing that he said that to some people felt like a challenge to Hezbollah, namely that he said that he wants to have the state be the only withholder of weapons, only bearer of arms.

My pledge is to exercise my role as commander-in-chief of the armed forces and chairman of the Supreme Defense Council,

that I work through them to ensure that the right to carry

arms is exclusive to the state.

So to many people, this is a sign of hope to Hezbollah and their supporters.

It felt like a bit of a challenge, but at the same time, they didn't feel like it was a huge

confrontation because at the end of the day,'t feel like it was a huge confrontation,

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