| Election Name: | 1998 Lebanese presidential election |
| Country: | Lebanon |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 24 November 1989 Lebanese presidential election |
| Previous Year: | 24 November |
| Next Election: | 2008 Lebanese presidential election |
| Next Year: | 2008 |
| Nominee1: | Emile Lahoud |
| Party1: | Independent (politician) |
| Electoral Vote1: | 118 |
| Percentage1: | 92% |
| President | |
| Before Election: | Elias Hrawi |
| Before Party: | Independent (politician) |
| Posttitle: | Elected President |
| After Election: | Emile Lahoud |
| After Party: | Independent (politician) |
An indirect presidential election was held in the Parliament of Lebanon on 13 October 1998,[1] resulting in General Emile Lahoud being elected President of the Lebanese Republic.
By convention, the presidency is always attributed to a Maronite Christian. Under the article 49 of the Lebanese Constitution, a qualified majority of two-thirds of the members of the 128-seat Lebanese Parliament is required to elect the president. After the second round of election, the president is elected by an absolute majority.[2]
General-in-chief of the army, Emile Lahoud, was backed by Syria and elected in a landslide 118 out of 118 votes (of the attending MPs) in the Chamber of Deputies.[3]
118 of 128 deputies attended the session, thus reaching the required quorum of 2/3 of MPs needed to proceed. On the first round, every deputy voted for Emile Lahoud, thus immediately making him the 11th President of the Lebanese Republic.[4]