Lebanon’s newly elected President, Joseph Aoun has summoned Nawaf Salam, the Head of the International Court of Justice, to designate him as the country’s Prime Minister after he won the backing of more than half of parliamentarians.
Aoun, a Maronite Christian, held consultations over the choice of Prime Minister with parliament’s 128 MPs on Monday, January 13, 2025.
Salam had secured the backing of 78 of the MPs by Monday afternoon, with nine endorsing caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati.
Following the appointment of Judge Nawaf Salam as Prime Minister-designate, Aoun voiced his hope for a smooth and prompt government formation process, emphasizing the significant opportunities that lie ahead for Lebanon.
Once the Prime Minister is designated, the government formation process begins, which can take a long time due to Lebanon’s complex political and sectarian landscape.
Under Lebanon’s power-sharing system, the President must be a Maronite Christian, the Prime Minister a Sunni Muslim, and the Parliament Speaker a Shia Muslim.
Presidency Director General, Antoine Choucair told a press conference in Beirut that Salam is currently outside Lebanon and is set to return on Tuesday, January 14, 2025.
Salam’s backers view judge and former Ambassador, Salam as an impartial figure able to carry out much-needed reforms – in contrast to Mikati, who is regarded by critics as being under Hezbollah’s influence.
MP Georges Adwan of the Christian party the Lebanese Forces said after meeting Aoun and endorsing Salam that it was time for Hezbollah to focus on “political work.” “The era of weapons is over,” Adwan told reporters.
Whoever heads Lebanon’s new government will face major challenges, including implementing reforms to satisfy international donors amid the country’s worst economic crisis in its history.
They will also face the daunting task of reconstructing swaths of the country after the Israel-Hezbollah war and implementing the November 27, 2024, ceasefire agreement, which includes the thorny issue of disarming the Lebanese armed group.
Sandra De Waele, the EU Ambassador to Lebanon, congratulated Nawaf Salam on his nomination as Prime Minister-designate.
“[It is] encouraging to see things moving forward in Lebanon. We hope a government will swiftly be formed to launch much-needed reforms and revive state institutions for the benefit of all Lebanese.”
Sandra De Waele
Weakened Position Of Hezbollah Group
The announcement on Monday reflects the weakened position of Lebanon’s Hezbollah group, which wanted caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati to keep the job, following its devastating war with Israel and the toppling of the group’s ally Bashar al-Assad in Syria last month.
Hezbollah emerged from a brutal war against Israel this autumn severely weakened.
Under a ceasefire deal, the group must pull its fighters from areas of southern Lebanon near the Israeli border as the national army – until last week under Aoun’s command – and UN peacekeepers deploy there.
Hezbollah also lost a key ally in neighbouring Syria when rebel fighters overthrew al-Assad last month.
Senior Hezbollah MP Mohammed Raad said that the Iran-backed group’s opponents were seeking its fragmentation and exclusion from power in Lebanon.
Speaking at the presidential palace after Hezbollah Members of Parliament had met with Aoun, Raad said his group had “extended its hand” by helping to secure the president’s election as Lebanon’s president last week, only to find the “hand cut off.”
The election last week of Army Commander General Aoun as Head of state, a choice backed by the United States, also showed the shift in Lebanon’s sectarian political landscape, in which Hezbollah had long held decisive sway.
His election ended a two-year power vacuum and revived hopes of lifting war-battered Lebanon out of economic crisis.
The eastern Mediterranean country has been run by a caretaker government since November 2022.
