Lebanese President Joseph Aoun begins consultations to choose the Prime Minister Government News

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati and President of the International Court of Justice Nawaf Salam are considered among the most likely candidates.

New Lebanese President Joseph Aoun began binding consultations with members of Parliament to name a prime minister.

Aoun’s consultations began at 8.15 am (06.15 GMT) on Monday with a meeting with Deputy Speaker of Parliament Elias Abu Saab, according to the official National News Agency.

Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is backed by the Hezbollah-led coalition, and Nawaf Salam, a favorite of anti-Hezbollah lawmakers who is the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, are seen as the front-runners. .

Consultations continue Aoun was elected last week Amid external pressure to form a much-needed government to confront the major challenges in the country.

Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, run by a caretaker government amid a severe economic crisis exacerbated by an all-out war between the Lebanese Hezbollah group and Israel.

The results of parliamentary consultations are expected to appear at the end of the day. Once a prime minister is chosen, their task is to form a new government, a process that could take months.

“Newly elected President Aoun said he hopes the next prime minister will be a partner and not an opponent,” Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khader said in a report from the Lebanese capital, Beirut. “A man who has the support of the international community, and a man who is prepared to implement much-needed reforms.”

Big challenges

Lebanon has a unique power-sharing system, which is designed to balance power between the country’s various sects.

The president, who must be a Maronite Christian, holds the position of head of state and supreme commander of the armed forces. At the same time, the prime minister must be a Sunni Muslim and enjoy much greater executive power than the president.

The Speaker of Parliament, who leads parliamentary discussions and plays the role of political mediator, must be a Shiite Muslim.

Mikati is one of the country’s richest men He presided over the country In a caretaker position throughout the presidential vacancy.

Mikati said, on the sidelines of the presidential elections, on Thursday, that he is ready to serve Lebanon “if necessary.”

However, Hezbollah opponents see Mikati as part of an old political system controlled by the party.

Whoever heads the new Lebanese 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 rebuilding large swaths of the country after the war between Israel and Hezbollah and implementing the ceasefire agreement signed on November 27, which includes the thorny issue of disarming the Lebanese armed group.