The Lebanese President General Joseph Aoun held on Monday the binding parliamentary consultations to designate a new prime minister, meeting with all the blocs in addition to the independent members of the House.
As a result of the parliamentary nominations, President Aoun designated Nawaf Salam to form the new government after the latter gained the support of 85 MPs.
The caretaker premier Najib Mikati was nominated by only 9 MPs, and 35 MPs abstained from any nomination.
“Loyalty to Resistance” and “Development and Liberation” parliamentary blocs did not nominate any figure for premiership.
Head of “Loyalty to Resistance” bloc, Hajj Mohammad Raad said that the positivity of the presidential elections was followed by the sorrowful step of tampering with the national consensus.
MP Raad said the move to designate Salam sowed “division” in the country, voicing hope that the cabinet would respect the country’s confessional power-sharing “pact.”
MP Raad warned against forming a government that violates conventions of the Constitution, adding that the political team which has named will have its chance to assume the national responsibilities, including liberating the occupied territories and prisoners and implementing the reconstruction plan.
Member of “Development and Liberation” parliamentary bloc, Dr. Ayyoub Hmayed also warned against violating the criteria of coexistence in the country.
Who is Nawaf Salam?
Nawaf Salam is a Lebanese politician, diplomat, jurist and academic who is the 27th president of the International Court of Justice. He was elected on 9 November 2017 as judge on the International Court of Justice for the 2018–2027 term, having received a concurrent majority of votes in the United Nations General Assembly and Security Council. He is presiding over South Africa’s case accusing ‘Israel’ of genocide in Gaza. He served as Lebanon’s Ambassador and Permanent Representative to the United Nations in New York from 2007 to 2017, during which period he held the positions of President of the Security Council and Vice President of the General Assembly. He was elected as president of the International Court of Justice on 6 February 2024. Salam is the second Arab to be elected as president and the first Lebanese judge. On the 13th of January 2025, Salam was nominated by more than half of the MPs making him become prime minister designate of Lebanon.
Source: Al-Manar English Website
