Lebanon’s newly elected President, Joseph Aoun, has started consultations with members of parliament to nominate a prime minister for the country. Aoun’s consultations began early on Monday, with his first meeting being with Elias Abu Saab, the deputy parliament speaker.
Two frontrunners for the position of prime minister are Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati, who is backed by the Hezbollah-led alliance, and Nawaf Salam, a favorite of anti-Hezbollah legislators who currently serves as the presiding judge at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
The formation of a new government is urgently needed to address the significant challenges facing Lebanon, including a severe economic crisis and ongoing conflicts. Lebanon has been without a president since October 2022, and has been governed by a caretaker government during this time.
Once the prime minister is selected, the task of forming a new government will begin, a process that could take several months. President Aoun expressed his hope that the next prime minister will be a partner in enacting much-needed reforms and will have the support of the international community.
Lebanon’s unique power-sharing system, designed to balance power among different communities, places specific requirements on the positions of president, prime minister, and speaker of parliament. The new government will face major challenges in implementing reforms to address the country’s economic crisis and in rebuilding areas damaged by the Israel-Hezbollah conflict.
