Lebanese President Michel Aoun reappointed on Thursday Saad Hariri as Prime Minister and officially tasked him to form a new government, following parliamentary elections held early this month.
Hariri’s return to the Grand Serail came following a long day of binding consultations between MPs and Aoun at the Baabda Palace from where the presidential office said the new PM reaped 111 votes, including many of his opponents, out of the 128-member Parliament.
Hezbollah’s parliamentary bloc, which refused to name Hariri to head a new government, did not name another candidate.
Following his appointment, Hariri spoke to Asharq Al-Awsat about the priorities of his government.
“The new cabinet will be confronted with a number of imminent priorities, mainly to protect Lebanon from regional threats, to address the economic situation and to solve the Syrian refugees crisis,” he said.
Hariri, who would head his third government, said Lebanon’s next cabinet should consolidate the commitment to the policy of dissociation and establish the best of relations with brotherly Arab states by not interfering in their internal affairs.
During the binding consultations, it was surprising to see that the team supporting Aoun insisted to link naming Hariri as PM to the results of the parliamentary elections, which places the strong leader in the highest political position delegated to his sect in the Lebanese political system.
"Our position comes natural in line with the outcome of the elections, which gave the Future Movement a greater representation," said Caretaker Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants MP Jebran Bassil on behalf of the "Strong Lebanon" parliamentary bloc after meeting with Aoun in Baabda.
Following his nomination, Hariri said all “large parliamentary blocs agree on the need to form a national consensus government as soon as possible, in light of the increasing regional risks around our country, and the pressing economic and financial conditions.”
He said the new government is required to maintain political stability, strengthen state institutions and reinforce the economy to create employment opportunities for the Lebanese, especially the youth.
