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Lebanon’s Hariri: We Want a Government of National Consensus

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)
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Lebanon’s Hariri: We Want a Government of National Consensus

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)
Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri begins his round of consultations to form a new government by meeting with former Premier Salim Hoss (Dalati & Nohra)

Prime Minister-designate Saad Hariri began on Friday the consultations to form a new government by meeting with the former premiers, including Salim Hoss, Najib Miqati, Fouad Saniora and Tamam Salam.
 
“We want a government that is based on national consensus with regards to broad headlines and even on certain details,” Hariri said following his meeting with Hoss, adding: “We are working in the same positive spirit as we did during the past year and a half...and I am sure we can accomplish a lot.”
 
He also said: “Regional pressure will accelerate the formation of the government as long as there is internal consensus.”
 
Hariri reiterated that none of the Future Movement deputies will be given cabinet seats, noting that there is no disagreement over this issue with caretaker Interior Minister Nohad al-Mashnouq.
 
In remarks following his meeting with Miqati, the prime minister-designate underlined that consensus would strengthen the country, adding that he hoped to promote his relation with the former premier.
 
A statement by Hariri’s office said the two sides stressed that consensus between all parties would reinforce the country and that all political blocs wanted to accelerate the formation of the government.
 
For his part, Miqati said: “We are in front of an important turning point… we agree with Hariri on building the state on the right foundations, including fighting corruption.”
 
Addressing reporters at the end of his visit to Siniora, Hariri underlined the importance of boosting Lebanon’s economy and providing employment opportunities for young Lebanese men and women, referring to the “historic opportunity to implement the Cedar Conference recommendations.”
 
“We all want a rapid cabinet formation for the benefit of Lebanon and the Lebanese. The challenges are great in the country, both economically and regionally,” he added.

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Lebanon Elects Army Chief as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
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Lebanon Elects Army Chief as New President

The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)
The Lebanese Parliament building a day before a session to elect the Lebanese president, in Beirut, Lebanon, 08 January 2025. (EPA)

Lebanon's parliament elected army chief Joseph Aoun head of state on Thursday, filling the vacant presidency with a general who enjoys US approval and showing the diminished sway of the Iran-backed Hezbollah group after its devastating war with Israel.
The outcome reflected shifts in the power balance in Lebanon and the wider Middle East, with Hezbollah badly pummelled from last year's war, and its Syrian ally Bashar al-Assad toppled in December.
The presidency, reserved for a Maronite Christian in Lebanon's sectarian power-sharing system, has been vacant since Michel Aoun's term ended in October 2022, with deeply divided factions unable to agree on a candidate able to win enough votes in the 128-seat parliament.
Aoun fell short of the 86 votes needed in a first round vote, but crossed the threshold with 99 votes in a second round, according to Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, after lawmakers from Hezbollah and its Shiite ally the Amal Movement backed him.
Momentum built behind Aoun on Wednesday as Hezbollah's long preferred candidate, Suleiman Franjieh, withdrew and declared support for the army commander, and as French envoy shuttled around Beirut, urging his election in meetings with politicians, three Lebanese political sources said.
Aoun's election is a first step towards reviving government institutions in a country which has had neither a head of state nor a fully empowered cabinet since Aoun left office.
Lebanon, its economy still reeling from a devastating financial collapse in 2019, is in dire need of international support to rebuild from the war, which the World Bank estimates cost the country $8.5 billion.
Lebanon's system of government requires the new president to convene consultations with lawmakers to nominate a Sunni Muslim prime minister to form a new cabinet, a process that can often be protracted as factions barter over ministerial portfolios.
Aoun has a key role in shoring up a ceasefire between Hezbollah and Israel which was brokered by Washington and Paris in November. The terms require the Lebanese military to deploy into south Lebanon as Israeli troops and Hezbollah withdraw forces.
Aoun, 60, has been commander of the Lebanese army since 2017.