Lebanese academic and former minister Hassan Diab, was designated on Thursday as Lebanon’s new premier.
The little-known 60-year-old engineering professor at the American University of Beirut (AUB) replaces outgoing premier Saad Hariri after nearly two months of protests that erupted on October 17 over the imposing of new taxes.
The self-described “technocrat” will take office amid the worst economic crisis since Lebanon’s 1975-1990 civil war.
A father of three, Diab is an independent who had shied away from the political limelight since leaving his post as education minister in 2014.
He is a career academic with a PhD in Computer Engineering from Britain’s University of Bath, and is currently a professor of electrical and computer engineering at AUB.
Diab has held several academic and administrative posts at the university — including that of vice president — since joining it as an assistant professor at the age of 26.
He is a self-styled advocate for educational reform in Lebanon, authoring books and several papers on the subject.
Hariri had been seen as the most likely choice to head a technocrat-dominated government but the 49-year-old announced late Wednesday he was no longer in the running.
Diab is not an established party member, nor a vocal supporter of any particular group.
He was named by 69 Lebanese lawmakers representing the Free Patriotic Movement, Hezbollah Amal Movement, as well other MPs.
Source: AFP (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
