Taymour Joumblatt succeeds father as leader of Lebanon's largest Druze party

Walid Joumblatt had led the Progressive Socialist Party for four and a half decades

Taymour Joumblatt (left) was announced as successor to his father Walid at a gathering in Ain Zhalta on Sunday. AFP

Taymour Joumblatt has been declared the leader of Lebanon's largest Druze party as he succeeded his father Walid at the helm of the Progressive Socialist Party.

The 41-year-old – already the leader of the PSP in parliament – was the sole runner in the race, and his accession to the party leadership was widely expected.

The PSP, founded by Taymour's grandfather Kamal, holds nine seats in Lebanon's deeply divided, confessional 128-seat legislature.

Walid Joumblatt had led the party for 45 years and is one of Lebanon's most important power brokers. He was an influential militia leader during the 1975-1990 Lebanese Civil War and has strong relations with longtime Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri.

Almost 2,000 supporters gathered in the Druze heartland of the Chouf mountains as Taymour Joumblatt's leadership was announced. He thanked his supporters for their trust while acknowledging "the difficulty of the task" ahead.

Upon taking over as leader, Taymour told his father: "You, Walid Joumblatt, will always remain the role model, the example, the symbol, and the reference."

"The march continues, and we will march and win with you," he added, as reported by Lebanon's MTV news.

Born in 1982 during the civil war, Taymour studied at the American University of Beirut – where he met his wife Diana Zeaiter, a Shiite Muslim – and at the Sorbonne in Paris.

Obtaining the PSP's parliamentary support is often seen of one of the key factors for any candidate seeking to become Lebanon's next president. The presidency is reserved for a Maronite Christian.

In 12 sessions parliament has failed to decide on a successor to former army chief Michel Aoun, who left the presidential palace in Baabda after his six-year term ended in October 2022.

The lack of a president comes amid an unprecedented post-civil-war governance vacuum. Prime Minister Najib Mikati's cabinet has caretaker status and is thus severely limited in its powers.

Lebanon is entrenched in an economic crisis, which first became apparent in 2019 and has been blamed on decades of mismanagement and corruption by the country's ruling elite.

Much of the country has been plunged into poverty, while the local currency has lost around 98 per cent of its value against the US dollar on the parallel market.