BEIRUT: Saad Hariri Wednesday secured a parliamentary majority to be named Lebanon's new prime minister-designate in the first day of consultations between President Michel Aoun and the country's political leaders.
By noon, 65 of the country's 127 members of Parliament had nominated former Prime Minister Saad Hariri to the post of Prime Minister. He needs 65 votes to reach the position.
"We desire to continue the progress of our start by forming a national unity government led by Hariri. I return the custodianship to its owner," outgoing Prime Minister Tammam Salam, who kicked off talks with Aoun, told reporters.
Ex-Prime Minister Najib Mikati and former premiers followed in for separate talks with Aoun to name their nominee.
Mikati said that Aoun's oath after his elections as the country's 13th president "complies with our aspirations and proposals." He also named Hariri for the post.
Siniora also named Hariri to hold the post in "the new era."
Meanwhile, Hariri left the Baabda Palace without making a statement.
The country’s top leaders and parliamentary bloc arrived gradually at the Baabda Palace to discuss the matter with Aoun and name their candidate.
The meetings are scheduled to conclude on Thursday with Speaker Nabih Berri’s Development and Liberation parliamentary bloc.
Hariri is widely expected to be named premier after Aoun wraps up two days of binding consultations with various parliamentary blocs to poll them on their choice for a prime minister.
Free Patriotic Movement leader Gebran Bassil, Aoun's son-in-law, met with Hariri’s chief of staff, Nader Hariri, on the sidelines of the Baabda consultations.
Hariri's nomination of Aoun last month guaranteed the latter's election on Monday. The move appears to be aligned with a deal in which Hariri secures Aoun's support to the Future head's premiership.
Normally, the President starts his consultations with the Parliament Speaker, but citing security reasons Berri reportedly asked to meet with Aoun just once at the end of his consultations.
Deputy Speaker Farid Makari said after meeting Aoun that he nominated Hariri for the premiership as "the picture would only be completed in Aoun's tenure when Hariri heads the government."
Salam’s 24-member Cabinet is now serving in a caretaker capacity following the election of Aoun on Monday with an absolute majority.
Future Movement's 34-member parliamentary bloc reiterated its support for its leader Hariri for the premiership, describing talks with Aoun as "excellent."
The Change and Reform bloc, comprised of 18 MPs, stood by its decision to back Hariri to the post, in addition to the Lebanese Forces 8-member bloc, Metn MP Michel Murr and MP Nayla Tueni.
Iran says ready to offer Lebanon more support
BEIRUT: Iranian Parliament Speaker Ali Larijani Wednesday expressed his country's desire to offer Lebanon all the help and support it needs.
Larijani's remarks were made during a telephone conversation with his Lebanese counterpart Speaker Nabih Berri to congratulate the latter on the end of the country's stalemate.
The Iranian official praised the Lebanese Parliament's role in preserving the country's constitutional institutions and its stability, a statement issued by Berri's press office said.
Lebanon ended on Monday ended a 2-1/2-year vacuum with the election of Michel Aoun as the country's 13th president.
Lebanon's Maronite Bishops calls for swift formation of govt
BEIRUT: The Council of Maronite Bishops Wednesday called for the swift formation of a government that is efficient and capable of meeting Lebanon's needs.
Bishops attending the council’s monthly meeting praised rival Lebanese factions for reaching an agreement that ended the country's 2-1/2-year presidential void.
The bishops said that the election of Michel Aoun "comes at a crucial stage," and called on the newly elected president to "reunite" the Lebanese, in particular, the rival parties.
The statement urged rivals to agree on a new electoral law, to better represent the Lebanese and rejuvenate the political scene.
Aoun, on Monday, launched a series of consultations with Lebanon's top leaders to name a new prime minister.
Senior Saudi officials hail election of Lebanon's new president
BEIRUT: Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince and Deputy Crown Prince congratulated President Michel Aoun on his election, official Saudi news agency SPA reported overnight Wednesday.
Crown Prince Mohammad bin Nayef and his deputy Mohammed bin Salman hailed Aoun's election in two separate cables.
They expressed hope that the new era would bring progress, prosperity and development to Lebanon and its people.
Aoun was elected by Lebanon's Parliament Monday as the country's 13th president, ending the country's prolonged power void.
World leaders call on Aoun on first full day
Joseph Haboush| The Daily Star
BEIRUT: President Michel Aoun received a number of congratulatory phone calls from world leaders Tuesday, as local officials sent well-wishes to Lebanon’s new head of state during his first full day. United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon congratulated the newly elected Aoun, and the two discussed the ongoing developments in the region. During the call, Aoun voiced his hopes that the U.N. would continue to support Lebanon on all levels.
Brazilian President Michel Temer also phoned Aoun to congratulate him, while expressing his hope that Aoun would visit Brazil. Temer added, “I hope that we will work together to strengthen historical, bilateral ties between the two countries.” He also reassured Aoun of the importance of the Lebanese diaspora in Brazil, given that there are large numbers of Lebanese nationals and millions of Brazilians of Lebanese descent in South America’s largest country.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among the Arab leaders to congratulate Aoun.
German President Joachim Gauck also congratulated Aoun on behalf of his country and its citizens. “Your election reassures us of the strength and immunity of Lebanese democracy, even during the most difficult times with political divisions,” Gauck reportedly told Aoun.
Gauck added that Germany would continue to stand by Lebanon’s side. “You have a large responsibility to instill political and social stability in the country ... with the ongoing war in Syria. Germany will continue, in its utmost capacity, to stand by Lebanon in the face of any obstacles it faces,” Gauck said, according to a statement.
He concluded his phone call with Aoun by saying, “I hope the Lebanese people have a future filled with peace, freedom and prosperity.”
A number of leading national figures also wished Aoun a successful term. Issam Fares, business tycoon and former deputy prime minister, visited Baabda Palace to congratulate the country’s new leader after returning to Lebanon following a 12-year absence.
“I came here to congratulate his excellency, the president. ... I came to congratulate Lebanon. I am confident that there will be a new Lebanon,” the 79-year-old billionaire said in a news conference after the meeting.
When asked if he had returned to Lebanon for good, Fares told assembled reporters that “I have now broken the ice so it will be easier to come back. This was a special visit only for the president. ... I will go back to my jobs now.”
When asked whether Fares was considering a political comeback, he said that he would continue to serve Lebanon in any capacity.
With his congratulatory visit completed, he left the country again with his family Tuesday afternoon.
Fares fled Lebanon on Feb. 14, 2005, immediately following the news of the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri – in whose Cabinet he had held the deputy position.
The businessman has strong connections with Aoun, having helped fund previous election campaigns for the president’s Free Patriotic Movement. He is also a prominent philanthropist and has a number of school halls and centers named after him. The American University of Beirut’s School of Public Policy and International Affairs is named after Fares.
Meanwhile, prominent religious figures also congratulated Aoun.
Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdel-Latif Derian congratulated Aoun by phone, urging the new president to form a Cabinet as soon as possible. “I hope that [Aoun] will be able to fulfill the dreams of the Lebanese people, while returning Lebanon to its place at the helm of the region and the world,” the Dar al-Fatwa leader said in a statement following the call.
Derian also called on the president to work with the yet-to-be-appointed prime minister to reactivate paralyzed government institutions. The religious leader also thanked former Prime Minister Saad Hariri and other politicians for their work in solving the presidential deadlock. “[Thanks] to the [former] premier, Saad Hariri, and all of the political leaders for their effort and sacrifices that led to the election of a president. ... Do not delay the formation of a new Cabinet for long because the nation can no longer handle any delays,” Derian’s statement said.
The vice president of the Higher Shiite Council, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan, also congratulated the new president, expressing hope that his term will be a positive sign of things to come for all Lebanese people.
Qabalan echoed Derian’s desire for the reactivation of government institutions, saying, “It is a duty to re-establish a state where citizens are equal. ... The Parliament must also approve a new electoral law that is fair in representation and also away from sectarian goals and political constraints.”
Qabalan also touched on the county’s tripartite formula, saying, “The new president should safeguard the people, the Army and the resistance in order for Lebanon to stay safe from Zionists and extremist takfiris that threaten Lebanon’s borders, sovereignty and stability.”
Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East John X sent Aoun a congratulatory letter wishing him success. “We wish the new leader success and hope that he can lead the country out of the troubles it has experienced recently,” John said in the letter.
Disgraced former MP Hasan Yaacoub, who was arrested last year and served seven months in prison for a high-profile kidnapping case, also visited Aoun Tuesday, the state-run National News Agency reported.
Yaacoub, originally from Zahle, was a member of Aoun’s Change and Reform parliamentary bloc. The visit to the Presidential Palace was the former MP’s first stop upon returning from a visit to Iran.
He was later seen standing alongside members of the Change and Reform bloc during a televised news conference in Rabieh.
Yaacoub was arrested in December 2015 on charges of abducting Hannibal Gadhafi, the son of the former Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi. Following his release on a $20,000 bail in July, Yaacoub established an independent sociopolitical movement named Harakat al-Nahj.
Yaacoub is the son of Sheikh Mohammad Yaacoub – one of two companions of Amal Movement founder Imam Musa Sadr during a fated trip to Libya in 1978 in which the three went missing.
Lebanese officials have blamed the slain Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, who was overthrown and killed in the 2011 Libyan civil war, of being behind the abduction.
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