Beirut: President Michel Aoun appointed Sa‘ad Hariri as Prime Minister on Thursday. It would be the second time he leads the Lebanese government.
A long line of deputies trekked to the presidential palace on Wednesday and Thursday according to a carefully orchestrated protocol to nominate their chosen candidate for the office.
The long list was led by outgoing Prime Minister Tammam Salam, followed by a Future Movement delegation, former premiers Najeeb Miqati and Fouad Saniora, Deputy Speaker Farid Makari and the independent deputies Butros Harb, Michel Murr and Nayla Tueini, as well as Michel Pharaon, Talal Arslan and Ahmad Karami.
In addition to the Future Movement (35), the Free Patriotic Movement (20), the Lebanese Forces (8), the Phalange Party (5), the Marada Movement (3), and the Progressive Socialist Party (7), all pledged support even if deputy Ahmad Fatfat (Future) voiced his opposition.
“I told President Aoun that the constitution and the laws must be respected and I hoped the essential principles will return to political life, seeing as no political system can function without an opposition,” Harb said after his consultations with Aoun.
He also hoped the ministerial policy statement of the government will be “clear” that implied previous iterations were not.
Cynical
Michel Pharaon was a bit more cynical when he declared that he “nominated Hariri for the premiership and called for facilitating the formation of the next cabinet in order to immunise unity”.
Although the Marada Movement leader did not accompany his bloc to the consultations, in what was a clear protest move on account of the year-long rivalry between Sulaiman Franjieh and Aoun, the fact that Marada added its votes to the tally was a good omen for internal stability.
According to the generally well-informed Al Nahar daily, Speaker Nabih Berri will be the last person to name a candidate in the name of the Amal Party.
Berri apparently requested to be the last to avoid making three treks from his Ain Al Tinih headquarters to Baabda Palace — first as a Speaker, second as head of Amal, and third to be briefed by Aoun on the outcome of consultations.
Berri declared that he will cooperate at the governmental level, but stressed that he will not forgo his alliances with Franjieh and Waleed Junblatt.
